Build Beautiful Terminal UIs with Native Performance
Kraken TUI combines Rust’s native performance with TypeScript’s ergonomic API to create interactive terminal interfaces that are fast, composable, and production-ready.Native Performance
Rust core powers layout, rendering, and text parsing — zero overhead
TypeScript DX
Familiar API with both imperative and JSX/signal-driven patterns
Flexbox Layout
Taffy-powered flexbox engine with familiar CSS-like properties
Rich Text
Built-in Markdown rendering and syntax highlighting
Quick Example
- Imperative API
- JSX API
Key Features
Comprehensive Widget Library
Box, Text, Input, TextArea, Select, ScrollBox — all the building blocks you need
Animation System
Smooth property transitions with easing, chaining, and choreography support
Theming
Built-in dark/light themes with per-widget-type style defaults
Event Handling
Keyboard, mouse, focus, resize — full event system with hit-testing
Architecture
Kraken TUI follows a modular monolith with cross-language facade pattern:- Rust Native Core — Owns all state, layout computation, rendering, and text parsing
- TypeScript Host Bindings — Thin ergonomic wrapper over FFI with zero business logic
- FFI Boundary — Clean command protocol with opaque handles and safety guarantees
Core Invariant: Rust is the performance engine; TypeScript is the steering wheel. All CPU-intensive work executes in the native core.
Get Started
Installation
Install Kraken TUI and build the native core
Quickstart
Build your first terminal UI in minutes
Core Concepts
Understand the architecture and design principles
API Reference
Explore the complete API documentation
Why Kraken TUI?
Native Performance Without Systems Programming
Native Performance Without Systems Programming
You get Rust’s performance without writing Rust. The FFI boundary lets TypeScript developers leverage native execution speed for layout, rendering, and text parsing — all the CPU-intensive work happens in compiled code.
Familiar Layout Model
Familiar Layout Model
Flexbox layout via Taffy means you can use the same mental model as web development. No learning archaic terminal coordinate systems or manual positioning — just
flexDirection, justifyContent, and alignItems.Both Imperative and Declarative APIs
Both Imperative and Declarative APIs
Start with the imperative API for maximum control, or use JSX with signals for reactive UIs. The reconciler handles efficient updates so you can write declarative code without sacrificing performance.
Production-Ready
Production-Ready
Built with production in mind: comprehensive error handling, animation budgets, dirty-flag diffing, and extensive testing. v2 is complete with safe state management, accessibility support, and full widget lifecycle.
When to Use Kraken TUI
Interactive Dashboards
System monitoring, CI/CD status, real-time metrics visualization
CLI Tools
Config wizards, interactive installers, development tools
AI Agent Interfaces
Terminal-based agent interfaces with rich interaction models
Developer Tools
Log viewers, debuggers, REPLs, and other developer utilities
Project Status
Kraken TUI is pre-GA and not production-ready yet. v1 is complete (themes + animation foundation). v2 is complete (state hardening, tree operations, JSX reconciler, accessibility). v3 planning is underway.
Community & Support
GitHub Repository
View source code, report issues, and contribute
License
Apache License 2.0 — open source and permissive