Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

the xonsh shell VS Spaceship ZSH

Compare the xonsh shell VS Spaceship ZSH and see what are their differences

the xonsh shell logo the xonsh shell

Xonsh is a Python-powered, cross-platform, Unix-gazing shell language and command prompt.

Spaceship ZSH logo Spaceship ZSH

Powerful, customizable Zsh prompt, your own spaceship 🚀
  • the xonsh shell Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-07
  • Spaceship ZSH Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20

the xonsh shell features and specs

  • Python Integration
    Xonsh allows the use of Python throughout the shell session, enabling powerful scripting, access to Python libraries, and seamless integration with Python code.
  • Extensible
    Due to its foundation in Python, xonsh is highly extensible and customizable, allowing users to create plugins or modify the shell's behavior to suit their needs.
  • Unified Environment
    Xonsh provides a unified environment for both command-line operations and Python scripting, reducing the need to switch contexts and improving workflow efficiency.
  • Cross-Platform
    Xonsh runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent shell experience across different platforms.
  • Rich Features
    Xonsh offers features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and history search, which enhance productivity and make the shell more user-friendly.

Possible disadvantages of the xonsh shell

  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with Python or new to xonsh may face a steeper learning curve, especially when transitioning from other shell environments.
  • Performance Overhead
    Being implemented in Python, xonsh might experience performance overhead, particularly when dealing with large and complex shell scripts compared to traditional shells like Bash.
  • Community and Support
    While growing, xonsh's community is smaller than those of more established shells, which might affect the availability of community support and third-party resources.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Scripts or features heavily reliant on legacy shell-specific behavior may face compatibility issues, requiring adjustments when running in xonsh.
  • Limited Adoption
    As a relatively new shell, xonsh may have limited adoption in enterprise environments, potentially impacting its integration into existing systems or workflows.

Spaceship ZSH features and specs

  • Customizability
    Spaceship ZSH offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tailor the prompt to their preferences and workflow needs.
  • Feature-Rich
    It includes numerous built-in features such as git status, node version, and other integrations, which enhance productivity for developers.
  • Aesthetically Pleasing
    The prompt is visually appealing with a modern aesthetic that improves the user experience compared to default terminal prompts.
  • Active Development
    Spaceship ZSH is actively maintained, with regular updates and community support, ensuring it remains current with the latest features and bug fixes.
  • Performance
    Optimized for speed, minimizing the performance impact on shell operations compared to some other complex prompts.

Possible disadvantages of Spaceship ZSH

  • Complexity
    The wealth of customization options can be overwhelming for new users, possibly requiring a learning curve to master its full potential.
  • Dependency Management
    There may be additional dependencies or configurations required to fully utilize all features, which can complicate setup for some environments.
  • ZSH-Specific
    As a ZSH-specific prompt, it limits its use to environments where ZSH is available or preferred, potentially excluding users who prefer different shell environments.
  • Configuration Overhead
    Although it offers high customizability, setting up and tweaking the prompt to suit personal preferences can be time-consuming.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to the xonsh shell and Spaceship ZSH)
Cryptocurrencies
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
48 48%
52% 52
Blockchain
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, the xonsh shell should be more popular than Spaceship ZSH. It has been mentiond 78 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

the xonsh shell mentions (78)

  • Advanced Shell Scripting with Bash (2006) [pdf]
    (Not sure about the equivalent of shlex.quote, but in the worst case, you can just use "from shlex import quote as q" or something). So yes, there are good alternatives to bash - even Python based. [0] https://xon.sh/. - Source: Hacker News / 20 days ago
  • Advanced Shell Scripting with Bash (2006) [pdf]
    > Wondering what others have found to address this. Or if they just stuck with Bash, since it's just not going away anytime soon. If you're familiar with Python, give xonsh (https://xon.sh/) a go. It's a Bash-like shell but the syntax is Python. It has the same ease of writing shell scripts as Bash does, sans the insane language. Been using it since 2018. - Source: Hacker News / 20 days ago
  • Fish 4.0: The Fish of Theseus
    Also, do consider xonsh.[1] It's a Bash-like shell written in Python. It has significant overlap with the awesomeness of fish, and has the advantage of being able to write your shell scripts in a Python dialect. So if you know Python, the mental burden is much lower. On top of that, it's cross platform, since Python is. No WSL needed. I switched to it in 2018 and haven't looked back. Originally it was just because... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • A Second Search for Bash Scripting Alternatives
    No xonsh? (https://xon.sh/) Seems to hit most of the requirements. Been happily using it since 2018. It's great not to have to learn a whole other language just to do scripting. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • The Dune Shell
    Interesting thought experiment. Reminds me of my cousin's project Xonsh https://xon.sh/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
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Spaceship ZSH mentions (12)

  • Zim – The Zsh configuration framework with blazing speed and modular extensions
    Https://github.com/spaceship-prompt/spaceship-prompt And I've way too many plugins # Add wisely, as too many plugins slow down shell startup. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Oh My Zsh and Oh My Posh on Azure Cloud Shell
    Install themes for oh-my-zsh. It's totally up to you which theme you're going to pick, but this post chooses either Spaceship or Powerlevel10k. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Mastering Bash and Terminal
    If you want all this and some more without setting it up yourself, oh-my-zsh spaceship prompt theme is great... I don't feel at home at a terminal without it by now, so one of my first installs after brew ;-) https://github.com/spaceship-prompt/spaceship-prompt. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • Do we need to know the current programing languages version that regularly?
    Afaik it was first widely popularized by Spaceship. Starship is explicitly modeled on Spaceship. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I just made my transition from Windows 11 to Manjaro Gnome! Can someone please recommend me a better looking terminal?
    Gnome terminal is great as it matches system theme. Well according to me the thing that looks out of place is the shell prompt and I would recommend spaceship for zsh. Well even after that if you want a different terminal both kitty and alacritty are great options but kitty you have to theme manually wherein in alacritty you can configure it to match gtk theme. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing the xonsh shell and Spaceship ZSH, you can also consider the following products

fish shell - The friendly interactive shell.

Oh My Zsh - A delightful community-driven framework for managing your zsh configuration.

Nu Shell - A modern shell written in Rust

Starship (Shell Prompt) - Starship is the minimal, blazing fast, and extremely customizable prompt for any shell! Shows the information you need, while staying sleek and minimal. Quick installation available for Bash, Fish, ZSH, Ion, and Powershell.

zsh - The Z shell (Zsh) is a Unix shell that can be used as an interactive login shell and as a powerful command interpreter for shell scripting.

Codefield - Tools for developers, designers and photographers