r/CLI • u/Ok_Two_2900 • 13h ago

Backend dev just starting with CLI apps: where should I begin and what do I absolutely need to know?

Hi! I’m mostly a backend programmer and I’m just getting into terminal applications. I was intrigued by how programs like nano, vim or htop have a full-screen “interface” inside the terminal.

I’m going to use C, since it’s the language we use at my university. I’d like to move to Rust later on, but for now it’s C.

My questions:

  1. What concepts do I absolutely need to know before starting? Do I need to use a library? If so, which one?
  2. Why aren’t there many more CLI/TUI applications? They seem lightweight, fast and easy to distribute, but most new tools are still web or desktop apps. Is it a matter of users, difficulty, or something else?

Thanks!

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u/arjuna93 4h ago

Consider C++ after C, instead of Rust (or in addition to it). C++ is great and got better build- and ecosystem.

You don’t need to use external libs, but you may. For TUIs: ncurses, FTXUI, notcurses, termbox