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5 Rust TUI Tools That Make Windows PowerShell Feel Like Linux

#rust #windows #cli #tools

Every year, the gap between Linux and Windows developer experience gets smaller. A big part of that is the Rust ecosystem building incredible CLI and TUI tools that work natively on Windows.

Here are 5 tools that transformed my Windows PowerShell workflow.

1. psmux — tmux, But Native on Windows

What it replaces: WSL + tmux, Windows Terminal tabs

cargo install psmux
tmux new-session -s work
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psmux is a full tmux-compatible terminal multiplexer. Split panes, manage sessions, detach and reattach — with identical keybindings and config. It even installs a tmux alias so your muscle memory transfers perfectly.

Why it matters: Session persistence. Close your terminal, reopen it tomorrow, tmux attach — everything is exactly where you left it. No WSL overhead, no Cygwin.

🔗 https://github.com/marlocarlo/psmux (174 ⭐)

2. pstop — htop That Runs on Windows

What it replaces: Task Manager, Get-Process

cargo install pstop
htop
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Yes, you can type htop on Windows. pstop gives you per-core CPU bars, process tree view, search/filter, kill/priority management, 7 color schemes, and a complete F2 setup menu — it's full htop parity.

Three tab views (Main / I/O / Net), persistent configuration, full mouse support.

🔗 https://github.com/marlocarlo/pstop (27 ⭐)

3. psnet — Wireshark in Your Terminal

What it replaces: Wireshark (for quick checks), netstat, TCPView

cargo install psnet
psnet
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Real-time network monitor with live speed sparkline graphs, DNS-resolved connection table, Wireshark-style traffic event log, and actual packet payload preview. The killer feature: zero dependencies — no Npcap, no WinPcap. Uses built-in Windows APIs.

🔗 https://github.com/marlocarlo/psnet

4. ripgrep (rg) — grep, But Fast

What it replaces: Select-String, findstr

cargo install ripgrep
rg "pattern" ./src
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The gold standard for recursive code search. Respects .gitignore, handles Unicode, works across every platform. If you're not using ripgrep, you're living in the past.

🔗 https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep

5. starship — A Prompt That Actually Helps

What it replaces: Default PS1 prompt

cargo install starship
# Add to $PROFILE:
Invoke-Expression (&starship init powershell)
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Shows git status, language versions, execution time, battery — all in a beautiful, fast prompt. Works in PowerShell, cmd, bash, zsh, fish.

🔗 https://github.com/starship/starship

The Combo: All Five Together 

# Install everything
cargo install psmux pstop psnet ripgrep starship

# Start a tmux session
tmux new-session -s dev

# Split panes:
# Pane 1: code with ripgrep for searching
# Pane 2: htop for monitoring
# Pane 3: psnet for network

# Beautiful starship prompt in every pane
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The Common Thread: Rust

All five tools share:

  • Single binary — no runtime, no dependencies
  • Blazing fast — native performance
  • Cross-platform (except psmux/pstop/psnet which are Windows-focused)
  • Active development — maintained and improving
  • MIT/Apache licensed — free forever

Install Rust in 30 Seconds 

winget install --id Rustlang.Rustup
# Restart terminal
# Now `cargo install` works for everything above
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What Rust CLI tools are in your daily workflow? Share in the comments!

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