ForgeTerm

A multi-pane terminal workspace built for builders running multiple projects concurrently.

Overview

ForgeTerm is designed to optimize the workflow of developers working on multiple projects at the same time. Instead of losing track of loose terminal windows, it provides a highly customizable, robust environment out of the box.

• Multi-pane Layout: Absolute-positioned tiling window manager for horizontal and vertical terminal splits without layout degradation.
• Fast & Lightweight: Built on Tauri (Rust backend) ensuring minimal memory footprint compared to Electron alternatives.
• xterm.js Integration: Reliable rendering, performance, and full terminal compatibility.
• File Explorer: Built-in side panel to easily browse and jump between local working directories.

Installation

ForgeTerm is currently optimized for macOS (Windows and Linux support via source build).

1. Go to the Releases page.
2. Download the latest .dmg file (e.g., ForgeTerm_0.1.0_aarch64.dmg for Apple Silicon).
3. Open the .dmg and drag ForgeTerm to your Applications folder.

Note: If macOS blocks the app, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Click "Open Anyway".

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Contributing

We welcome contributions. ForgeTerm is built using the Tauri framework, dividing the application into a web frontend and a system-level backend.

Project Architecture

ForgeTerm/
├── src/                  # FRONTEND (React + TypeScript + Tailwind)
│   ├── App.tsx           # Main application shell and layout manager
│   ├── features/         # Logic slices (Terminal, Explorer, Git, Layout)
│   └── components/       # Reusable UI components
│
├── src-tauri/            # BACKEND (Rust + Tauri)
│   ├── src/main.rs       # App entry point
│   ├── src/pty.rs        # PTY (Pseudo-Terminal) process management
│   └── tauri.conf.json   # OS permissions and window settings

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20+)
• pnpm (v9+)
• Rust (Stable)

Getting Started

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/eliophan/ForgeTerm.git
   cd ForgeTerm

2. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install

3. Run the desktop app in development mode (with Hot-Module Replacement):

   pnpm tauri dev

Building from Source

To build production binaries yourself:

# Compile web frontend
pnpm build

# Compile Desktop app packages (.dmg, .app, .exe, etc)
pnpm tauri build

Compiled deliverables will be located in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.