Tabby is a highly configurable, cross-platform terminal emulator and SSH/serial client designed to replace default terminal applications and provide an enhanced user experience for developers and system administrators. It offers integrated SSH and serial capabilities, extensive customization options, and support for various shells and tools.

How It Works

Tabby is built as a desktop application using web technologies (likely Electron or similar), allowing for cross-platform compatibility and extensive UI customization through themes and plugins. It emulates a VT220 terminal and integrates SSH/Telnet clients, serial terminal functionality, and a connection manager. Key features include split panes, tab management, global hotkeys, and support for advanced shell features like tab completion on Windows via Clink.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install: Download pre-built binaries from the latest release page or use package managers (Debian/Ubuntu, RPM).
• Requirements: Windows 10, macOS, or Linux.
• Portable Mode: Create a data folder alongside Tabby.exe on Windows.
• Documentation: HACKING.md, API docs

Highlighted Details

• Integrated SSH, Telnet, and serial terminal client with connection management.
• Extensive plugin ecosystem for features like Docker integration, config syncing, and AI assistant connectivity (MCP).
• Highly configurable shortcuts, themes, and UI elements.
• Supports PowerShell, WSL, Git-Bash, Cygwin, and more on Windows.

Maintenance & Community

The project is actively maintained with contributions from a large community. Sponsors include packagecloud, keygen, and IQ Hive. Community links are not explicitly provided in the README, but the project follows the all-contributors specification.

Licensing & Compatibility

The project is licensed under the MIT License, permitting commercial use and integration with closed-source projects.

Limitations & Caveats

Tabby is noted as not being lightweight, with potential for higher RAM usage compared to alternatives like Alacritty or Conemu. The README does not detail specific performance benchmarks or known bugs.