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faressoft/terminalizer

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 16,123JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A Node.js CLI that records terminal sessions and exports them as animated GIFs or a shareable web player, with editable frames and styling.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((terminalizer))
    Inputs
      Terminal commands
      YAML config
      Custom theme
    Outputs
      Animated GIF
      Web player link
      Frame JSON
    Use Cases
      Record README demos
      Make CLI tutorial GIFs
      Embed terminal walkthroughs
      Share session as link
    Tech Stack
      JavaScript
      Node.js
      Electron
      npm
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Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Record a CLI install demo and embed the GIF in a project README.

USE CASE 2

Capture a tutorial session and share an online player link with students.

USE CASE 3

Trim idle pauses out of a long recording before publishing.

USE CASE 4

Brand demo GIFs with a custom watermark, font, and window border style.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptNode.jsElectronnpm

How does it compare?

faressoft/terminalizeryabwe/medium-editordvajs/dva
Stars16,12316,10916,172
LanguageJavaScriptJavaScriptJavaScript
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Needs Node.js installed, the render step uses Electron which can be slow on first run.

Free to use for any purpose including commercial work, with the copyright notice kept in source distributions (MIT).

In plain English

Terminalizer is a command-line tool that lets you record your terminal session and turn it into an animated GIF image or a shareable web player link. If you have ever wanted to show someone a sequence of commands and their output, for documentation, tutorials, or demos, this tool captures exactly that and produces a visual recording you can embed anywhere. The workflow is straightforward: you run a record command to start capturing, do whatever you want in the terminal, then stop recording. The result is saved as a configuration file you can edit to trim frames, adjust timing, and change visual settings. Then you run a render command to produce the animated GIF, or a share command to upload it and get a link to an online player. Customization is extensive. You can change the font, colors, cursor style, line height, and add a watermark. You can also choose from several frame border styles, window-style borders, floating panels, or no border at all, to make the recording look like a polished screenshot. The delay between frames is configurable, including a cap on how long idle pauses are allowed to last. The tool is built in JavaScript and runs on Node.js, making it cross-platform. It is primarily aimed at developers and technical writers who want to create clean, professional terminal demos without screencasting software.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Install terminalizer globally via npm and walk me through recording my first session, then rendering it to demo.gif.
Prompt 2
Edit a terminalizer YAML config to cap idle frame delays at 1000ms and add a top-right watermark with my logo PNG.
Prompt 3
Set up a terminalizer theme that matches the Dracula color palette with a floating-window frame style.
Prompt 4
Compare terminalizer with asciinema and vhs for recording CLI demos in 2026, which is best for embedding in a README.
Prompt 5
Write a shell script that re-records the same demo every release and overwrites docs/demo.gif using terminalizer in headless mode.

Frequently asked questions

What is terminalizer?

A Node.js CLI that records terminal sessions and exports them as animated GIFs or a shareable web player, with editable frames and styling.

What language is terminalizer written in?

Mainly JavaScript. The stack also includes JavaScript, Node.js, Electron.

What license does terminalizer use?

Free to use for any purpose including commercial work, with the copyright notice kept in source distributions (MIT).

How hard is terminalizer to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is terminalizer for?

Mainly developer.

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