explaingit

micro-editor/micro

📈 Trending★ 28,547GoAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5ActiveLicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A modern, easy-to-use text editor that runs in your terminal with familiar keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V) and no learning curve.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((micro))
    What it does
      Terminal text editor
      Familiar shortcuts
      Built-in help menu
    Key features
      Multiple cursors
      Split panes and tabs
      Syntax highlighting
      Mouse support
    Installation
      Single binary file
      Homebrew, Snap, Chocolatey
      One-line install script
    Use cases
      Remote server editing
      Developer workflows
      SSH file editing
    Tech stack
      Go language
      Lua plugins
      Cross-platform

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Edit files directly on remote servers over SSH without learning complex terminal editor shortcuts.

USE CASE 2

Replace nano or vi with a modern editor that uses standard copy-paste and save shortcuts you already know.

USE CASE 3

Extend the editor with custom plugins written in Lua for your specific workflow needs.

USE CASE 4

Work in terminal-only environments (CI/CD pipelines, containers, minimal systems) with full syntax highlighting and mouse support.

Tech stack

GoLua

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
Use freely for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as you keep the copyright notice and license text.

In plain English

Micro is a text editor that runs inside a terminal, the command-line window on your computer. Terminals are the text-only interfaces where you type commands, and they are common when working on remote servers over SSH or in developer workflows. Micro aims to be the easy-to-use modern alternative to other terminal editors, which can have steep learning curves. The key appeal is familiarity: micro uses the same keyboard shortcuts most people already know from standard desktop applications, Ctrl+S to save, Ctrl+C to copy, Ctrl+V to paste, Ctrl+Z to undo, so there is almost no learning curve. It also shows a help menu at the bottom of the screen (similar to nano, another simple terminal editor) so you can see available commands at any time. Micro ships as a single self-contained binary file with no dependencies, so installation is as simple as downloading one file. It is available via Homebrew on macOS, Snap and various distro package managers on Linux, and Chocolatey or Scoop on Windows. A one-line install script is also available. Feature-wise, micro supports multiple cursors, split panes, tabs, syntax highlighting for over 130 programming languages, a built-in plugin system (plugins are written in Lua), automatic linting (real-time error checking), persistent undo/redo history, and full mouse support including click-to-place, drag-to-select, and double-click to select a word. It supports true color terminals. Written in Go, micro works cross-platform wherever Go runs. It is particularly useful for developers who regularly edit files directly on remote servers. The full README is longer than what was provided.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I install micro on my Mac and start editing a file on a remote server?
Prompt 2
Show me how to set up multiple cursors in micro to edit the same text in several places at once.
Prompt 3
Write a simple Lua plugin for micro that adds a custom command I can use while editing.
Prompt 4
How do I configure syntax highlighting and enable linting in micro for my programming language?
Prompt 5
What are the keyboard shortcuts in micro and how do I customize them to match my preferences?
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Generated 2026-05-21 · Model: sonnet-4-6 · Verify against the repo before relying on details.