explaingit

micro-editor/micro

Analysis updated 2026-06-20

28,547GoAudience · developerComplexity · 1/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

A modern terminal text editor that uses familiar keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl-S and Ctrl-C instead of cryptic commands, with mouse support, syntax highlighting for 130+ languages, and no dependencies, download one file and start editing.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((micro))
    Features
      Multiple cursors
      Syntax highlighting
      Mouse support
      Split windows
    Built-in tools
      Plugin manager
      Linting
      Diff gutter
      Macro recording
    Shortcuts
      Ctrl-S save
      Ctrl-C copy
      Ctrl-Z undo
    Use cases
      SSH editing
      Git commits
      Code editing
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Edit configuration files on a remote server over SSH without needing to learn vim or emacs keyboard commands.

USE CASE 2

Set micro as the default editor for git so commit messages and rebases open in a familiar editor instead of vim.

USE CASE 3

Write and edit code in the terminal with syntax highlighting for over 130 languages and real-time linting feedback.

USE CASE 4

Use multiple cursors and split windows to edit several files at once in a single terminal session.

What is it built with?

Go

How does it compare?

micro-editor/microopentofu/opentofugoharbor/harbor
Stars28,54728,58028,438
LanguageGoGoGo
Setup difficultyeasymoderatehard
Complexity1/53/54/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsops devops

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

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
MIT licensed, free to use, copy, and modify for any purpose including commercial, with no restrictions beyond keeping the copyright notice.

In plain English

Micro is a text editor that runs inside a terminal window. It is aimed at people who like editing files at the command line but want something easier to pick up than older terminal editors. The README positions it as a kind of successor to nano: easy to install and use, with more modern features. It ships as a single, self-contained binary with no dependencies, so you download one file and run it. Once open, micro feels closer to a familiar graphical editor than to traditional terminal editors. It uses common keyboard shortcuts such as Ctrl-S to save, Ctrl-C to copy, Ctrl-V to paste, and Ctrl-Z to undo, and these can be rebound. There is a nano-style menu at the bottom that hints at what the keys do, so you do not have to memorize them. The README lists features including multiple cursors, splits and tabs, strong mouse support (click to position, double-click for a word, triple-click for a line, drag to select), persistent undo, macros, simple autocompletion, automatic linting with error notifications, a diff gutter that shows unsaved changes, system clipboard copy and paste, soft wrapping, Unicode support, and syntax highlighting for over 130 languages. Color schemes, true color, and configurable settings are built in, and a plugin system lets you extend the editor using Lua, with a built-in manager for installing and updating plugins. You might reach for micro when you spend time editing files in a terminal, especially over SSH, and want something more comfortable without learning a steep set of commands. It is written in Go, cross-platform across the platforms Go supports, and licensed under MIT.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I configure micro editor to use a dark color scheme and set the default tab width to 2 spaces for JavaScript files?
Prompt 2
Show me how to write a simple micro editor plugin in Lua that adds a command to insert a timestamp at the cursor position.
Prompt 3
What is the keyboard shortcut to open multiple cursors in micro editor so I can edit several lines at the same time?
Prompt 4
How do I set micro as my default git editor on Linux so that git commit and git rebase -i open in micro instead of vim?

Frequently asked questions

What is micro?

A modern terminal text editor that uses familiar keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl-S and Ctrl-C instead of cryptic commands, with mouse support, syntax highlighting for 130+ languages, and no dependencies, download one file and start editing.

What language is micro written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go.

What license does micro use?

MIT licensed, free to use, copy, and modify for any purpose including commercial, with no restrictions beyond keeping the copyright notice.

How hard is micro to set up?

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

Who is micro for?

Mainly developer.

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Verify against the repo before relying on details.