We have previously shown you how you can use “script” command to record your terminal session in Linux. The only drawback with this is that the output is in a text file. If you would like the output to be in video format to easily share with your firends, here are two applications you can use to record your terminal session as video.
1. Asciinema
Asciinema is a free and open source solution for recording terminal sessions and sharing them on the web.
To install asciinema in Ubuntu, use the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:zanchey/asciinema sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install asciinema
You can also install it in other distros. Check out the installation page for instructions for Fedora, Arch Linux and Gentoo Linux.
Once installed, open a terminal and type:
asciinema rec
This will start the recording.
Once you are done with the recording, press “Ctrl + d” or type “exit” to end the recording. It will then prompt you asking if you want to upload the video.
If you press “y,” it will upload the video and show you the upload URL. You can then share the URL with your friends.
After that, you can use the command
asciinema auth
to claim the video you have uploaded (you will have to setup an account with asciinema). You will then be able to embed the video on your site, or even to delete it.
The bad thing about asciinema is that you only get to see the video online. If you choose not to upload the video, it doesn’t save a record in your computer.
2. Showterm
Showterm is yet another application that has the same features as Asciinema. It records your terminal session and uploads the video to its server when done.
To install it, simply run the command:
curl showterm.io/showterm > ~/bin/showterm chmod +x ~/bin/showterm
To get started, use the command:
showterm
to start the recording and
exit
to exit the recording.
Unlike Asciinemi, it will automatically upload the video to showterm’s server without prompt. You can then click the URL to view the video on your browser.
Conclusion
Both Asciinemi and Showterm are simple applications that make it easy for you to record your terminal session and share it with others. It is especially useful when you need help troubleshooting your computer and recording the output of the diagnostic command to help your friend find out what’s wrong with your computer.
Asciinema and Showterm are compatible with Mac as well.
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Damien Oh
Damien Oh started writing tech articles since 2007 and has over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He is proficient in Windows, Linux, Mac, Android and iOS, and worked as a part time WordPress Developer. He is currently the owner and Editor-in-Chief of Make Tech Easier.
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