Lib.rs

› Command line utilities
#shell #terminal #cross-platform #cli

app mini_shell

A cross-platform mini shell written in Rust

by itsvks19

1 unstable release

Uses new Rust 2024

0.1.0 May 6, 2025

#2211 in Command line utilities

MIT license

37KB
826 lines

Mini Shell

[!NOTE] This project was created by me, as a learning exercise to explore and understand Rust, especially for building cross-platform CLI applications.

A cross-platform shell implementation written in Rust that provides basic file system operations and unified package management across different operating systems.

Mini Shell Screenshot

Mini Shell running with package management

✨ Features

  • Cross-Platform Support: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Core Shell Commands: Familiar shell commands like ls, cd, mkdir, rm, cat, etc.
  • Unified Package Management: Abstracts multiple package managers into a single interface
  • Smart Path Handling: Supports absolute, relative, and ~ home directory paths
  • Colored Output: Color-coded directory listings where supported
  • System Command Execution: Run any system command directly

📋 Available Commands

Command Description Example
cd <dir> Change directory cd ~/projects
pwd Print working directory pwd
ls [dir] List directory contents ls ~/documents
mkdir <dir> Create directory mkdir new_folder
rm <file/dir> Remove file or directory rm -rf old_folder
cat <file> Display file contents cat config.txt
echo <text> Display text echo Hello World
touch <file> Create empty file touch newfile.txt
clear Clear screen clear
help Display help information help
exit Exit the shell exit

🛠️ Package Management

Rust Shell provides a unified interface for package management across platforms:

pkg install <package>  - Install a package
pkg search <query>     - Search for packages
pkg update [package]   - Update packages
pkg list               - List available package managers

Supported Package Managers

Windows

  • Chocolatey (choco)
  • WinGet
  • Scoop

macOS

  • Homebrew (brew)
  • MacPorts

Linux

  • APT
  • DNF
  • Pacman
  • Zypper

Cross-Platform

  • Snap
  • Flatpak

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Rust and Cargo (latest stable version)

Building from Source

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/itsvks19/mini-shell.git
cd mini-shell

  2. Build the project:

    cargo build --release

  3. Run the shell:

    ./target/release/rust-shell

📦 Installation

Cargo

cargo install mini-shell

🔧 Configuration

Mini Shell will detect available package managers on your system automatically. No additional configuration required!

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

  • The Rust community for providing excellent libraries and documentation
  • Unix and PowerShell for inspiration on shell design and functionality

Dependencies

~0.2–7MB
~39K SLoC