June 28, 2025 🛠 Development Tools

25 Must-Have CLI Tools for Developers in 2025

Why Every Developer Needs a Powerful CLI Toolkit

In an era of sophisticated IDEs, the command line remains the most powerful interface for serious developers. The right CLI tools can transform your workflow, offering unparalleled speed, flexibility, and automation capabilities. Here's our curated list of essential terminal tools for modern development.

Core Development Tools

1. zsh + Oh My Zsh

The ultimate shell setup:

# Install Oh My Zsh
sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Benefits:

200+ plugins
Beautiful themes
Intelligent tab completion

2. tmux

Terminal multiplexer for serious developers:

# Create named session
tmux new -s dev

Key features:

Persistent sessions
Split panes
Remote pair programming

Git Superchargers

3. lazygit

Beautiful terminal UI for Git:

brew install lazygit

Features:

Interactive rebasing
Branch visualization
Stash management

4. git-extras

50+ useful Git extensions:

git summary
git effort
git ignore

System Monitoring

5. btop++

Next-gen system monitor:

sudo apt install btop

Tracks:

CPU/GPU usage
Network activity
Disk I/O

6. ncdu

Find space hogs fast:

ncdu /

Network Utilities

7. httpie

Modern cURL replacement:

http POST example.org name=John

8. mtr

Network diagnostic tool:

mtr google.com

Container Tools

9. dive

Analyze Docker images:

dive my-image:latest

10. ctop

Container metrics at a glance:

ctop

Productivity Boosters

11. fzf

Fuzzy finder for everything:

# Search command history
CTRL+R

12. tldr

Simplified man pages:

tldr tar

Modern Alternatives

Old Tool	Modern Replacement
grep	ripgrep (rg)
find	fd
cat	bat

Honorable Mentions

jq - JSON processor
yq - YAML processor
asciinema - Terminal recording
glow - Markdown viewer
duf - Disk usage

How to Build Your Perfect CLI Setup

Start with zsh + plugins
Add 2-3 tools per category
Create shell aliases for frequent commands
Automate setup with dotfiles

Conclusion: Master Your Terminal

The command line remains the most powerful interface for developers. By carefully selecting and mastering these tools, you'll gain superhuman capabilities in your daily workflow. Remember: the best setup is the one you'll actually use.

Pro Tip: Create a "tool of the week" challenge to gradually master these utilities.