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tmux / screen

By · Reviewed & last updated · Part of Linux & Bash Tutorial

tmux is a terminal multiplexer — sessions, windows, and panes that survive disconnects. Two reasons it is indispensable on remote machines: you ssh in, attach to a session, work, disconnect, come back tomorrow, attach, and your shells are exactly where you left them. Plus split panes for tail -f next to your editor.

Sessions, panes, scripted layouts, keybindings

EXAMPLE
# 1) Start a named session
tmux new -s work

# 2) Common keys (prefix = Ctrl+B by default)
#   prefix d         detach session   (work keeps running)
#   prefix c         new window
#   prefix ,         rename window
#   prefix 0..9      switch to window N
#   prefix \"        split horizontal
#   prefix %         split vertical
#   prefix arrow     move between panes
#   prefix z         zoom current pane (toggle)
#   prefix [         enter copy mode (q to exit)
#   prefix ]         paste

# 3) Reattach later — from a fresh ssh, the same shells are running
tmux ls
# work: 2 windows (created Wed Jun 11 09:01) (attached)
tmux attach -t work

# 4) Kill a runaway session
tmux kill-session -t scratch

# 5) Scripted layout: start a four-pane dev dashboard from CI or shell rc
tmux new -d -s dev   'top'
tmux split-window -h -t dev:0 'tail -F /var/log/syslog'
tmux split-window -v -t dev:0.0 'cd ~/app && npm run dev'
tmux split-window -v -t dev:0.1 'cd ~/app && npm test -- --watch'
tmux select-layout -t dev:0 tiled
tmux attach -t dev

# 6) Persist sensible keybindings — ~/.tmux.conf
cat <<'EOF' >> ~/.tmux.conf
set -g mouse on
set -g history-limit 100000
set -g base-index 1
set -g renumber-windows on
# Use Ctrl+A instead of Ctrl+B (gnu-screen style)
unbind C-b
set -g prefix C-a
bind C-a send-prefix
# Quick split shortcuts
bind | split-window -h
bind - split-window -v
# Reload config without restarting tmux
bind r source-file ~/.tmux.conf \; display 'tmux reloaded'
EOF

tmux source-file ~/.tmux.conf

# 7) Pair-programming: two devs attach to the same session
ssh alice@host  ->  tmux new -s pair
ssh bob@host    ->  tmux attach -t pair       # both see and type the same shell

Why it matters

tmux + ssh beats nohup, screen, and \"leave my laptop open\" for any long-running remote work. The mental model: sessions are workspaces, windows are tabs, panes are splits. Once it clicks, you stop closing terminals and start detaching them.

Tip: Tweak the snippet with Try it Yourself », then sit the quiz at the bottom of the page.

Example

Example
tmux new -s work
tmux attach -t work
# Ctrl-b d to detach
Try it Yourself »

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