nnn (file manager)

nnn (shortened as ) is a free and open-source, text-based file manager for Unix-like systems. It is a fork of noice[5][6] and provides several additional features,[7][8] while using a minimal memory footprint[9][better source needed] It uses low-level functions to access the file system and keeps the number of reads to a minimum, allowing it to perform well on embedded devices.[10][non-primary source needed] As the base program follows a minimal design philosophy, additional features and functionality are available via user plugins.[11][better source needed]

nnn
Developer(s)Arun Prakash Jana[1]
Initial releaseApril 13, 2017; 7 years ago (2017-04-13)[1]
Stable release
4.9[2] Edit this on Wikidata / 27 August 2023
Repository
Written inC
Operating systemLinux
FreeBSD
macOS
OpenBSD
Haiku
Size243 KB (tar.gz source)[3]
Available inEnglish only[3]
TypeFile manager
LicenseBSD-2-Clause[4]
Websitegithub.com/jarun/nnn

Operation

Each instance of nnn provides four "contexts", or tabs, which allow to browse multiple directories within the same instance. From within nnn, basic file operations such as adding,[12] duplicating, moving, removing and renaming files are available.[7] Additionally, it supports mass file renaming and mounting remote drives via sshfs. One unique feature is that separate instances of nnn can share the selection that has been made in one of the running instances.[13][non-primary source needed]

The file structure can be browsed with the keyboard or mouse.[12][14] In larger directories, it is recommended to filter out the results via a text search string or regular expression.[14]

Configuration

nnn retains most of its configuration to environment variables or command line arguments.[7] Additional functionality can be installed via plugins that can be activated via an extra menu or adding keybindings for them.[15][better source needed]

See also

References