Skip to main content

​
Introduction

OpenTUI is a native terminal UI core written in Zig with TypeScript bindings. The native core exposes a C ABI and can be used from any language. OpenTUI powers OpenCode in production today and will also power terminal.shop. It is an extensible core with a focus on correctness, stability, and high performance.

​
Key features

OpenTUI provides a component-based architecture with flexible layout capabilities, allowing you to create complex terminal applications:
  • Native performance - Written in Zig with a focus on correctness and high performance
  • Component-based architecture - Build UIs with reusable, composable components
  • Flexible layouts - Uses the Yoga layout engine for CSS Flexbox-like capabilities
  • Cross-language support - C ABI allows usage from any language
  • Rich components - Text, boxes, inputs, selects, tabs, and more
  • Advanced rendering - FrameBuffer API for custom graphics and visual effects
  • Built-in console - Integrated debug console with log capture
  • Theme support - Automatic dark/light mode detection
  • Production-ready - Powers OpenCode in production

​
Get started

Quickstart

Build your first TUI app in minutes

Installation

Install OpenTUI with your package manager

Core concepts

Learn the fundamentals of OpenTUI

​
Quick example

Here’s a simple example to get you started: 
import { createCliRenderer, TextRenderable } from "@opentui/core"

const renderer = await createCliRenderer()

const greeting = new TextRenderable(renderer, {
  id: "greeting",
  content: "Hello, OpenTUI!",
  fg: "#00FF00",
  position: "absolute",
  left: 10,
  top: 5,
})

renderer.root.add(greeting)
Use create-tui to quickly scaffold a new OpenTUI project:
bun create tui

​
Why OpenTUI?

OpenTUI combines the best of both worlds: native performance through Zig with the developer experience of TypeScript. The architecture provides:
  • Correctness - Type-safe APIs with comprehensive error handling
  • Stability - Battle-tested in production with OpenCode
  • Performance - Native Zig core for maximum efficiency
  • Extensibility - Component-based design for easy customization
  • Flexibility - Works with React, SolidJS, or imperative APIs

​
Next steps

Installation guide

Set up OpenTUI with system requirements

Build your first app

Follow our quickstart tutorial

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us