Ghostty Playground
Show HN: Ghostty in-browser with real client-side back end
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What is Ghostty Playground?
Ghostty Playground is a browser-based terminal emulator that runs the full Ghostty terminal engine directly in your browser using WebAssembly. It combines ghostty-web for terminal parsing, input handling, scrollback, selection, and rendering with BrowserPod, a Linux-like sandbox runtime that provides Bash, Git, Node.js, npm, child processes, and a persistent virtual filesystem. The entire system runs client-side with no server required for execution.
Key features include over 500 standard Ghostty themes in full preview, a configuration editor accessible via right-click context menu, customizable keybindings, a POSIX-like filesystem with persistence through OPFS (Origin Private File System), tabs and split view support, and shareable links through BrowserPod Portals that expose HTTP servers running inside a Pod. The playground also includes an experimental ghostty-ai command for running small local models via WebLLM, and Python support that is available but still in preview mode.
This tool is designed for developers who want to test Ghostty without installing it, browse code or run commands from any device without setup, try out themes and configurations safely, learn terminal commands in a real Linux-like environment, and preview web projects through shareable Portal URLs. It's particularly useful for those evaluating Ghostty, needing quick terminal access without installation, or wanting a consistent development environment across different machines.
Ghostty Playground pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Ghostty Playground is completely free to use with no subscription fees, paid tiers, or premium features. The tool runs entirely client-side in your browser with no backend costs. Since it's an experimental project based on open-source components (ghostty-web and BrowserPod), there are no licensing fees or payment requirements. The original Ghostty terminal emulator is also free and open-source with no subscription fees or premium tiers.
Ghostty Playground pros
- Runs 100% in-browser with no server required for execution
- Full Ghostty terminal engine with GPU-accelerated rendering
- Over 500 standard Ghostty themes available in full preview
- Built-in configuration editor via right-click context menu
- Customizable keybindings support (though some limited)
- POSIX-like filesystem with persistence through OPFS
- Near-native Node.js performance via WebAssembly
- Includes bash, git, npm, and Node.js out of the box
- BrowserPod provides real Linux-like backend environment
- Shareable Portal URLs for previewing HTTP projects
- Tabs and split view functionality for multi-tasking
- Experimental ghostty-ai for local model inference via WebLLM
- No installation or setup required to start using
- Works across any device with a modern browser
- Persistent filesystem keeps your files between sessions
- Port-listening capability for running local servers
- Child process support for running multiple commands
- Terminal parsing with full scrollback and selection
Ghostty Playground cons
- Python support is still in preview with uncertain performance
- Some keybindings won't work due to browser limitations (e.g. super+t)
- Tabs and split view implementation isn't perfect yet
- Experimental features like ghostty-ai may be unstable
- Work in progress status means features may change
- Requires modern browser with WebAssembly and WebGPU support
- Limited to browser sandbox capabilities, not full system access
- Performance may vary depending on browser and hardware
- No server-side execution for heavy computational tasks
Frequently asked questions about Ghostty Playground
What is Ghostty Playground?
Ghostty Playground is a browser-based terminal emulator that runs the full Ghostty terminal engine directly in your browser using WebAssembly. It combines ghostty-web for terminal rendering with BrowserPod, a Linux-like sandbox that provides Bash, Git, Node.js, npm, and a persistent virtual filesystem. The entire system runs client-side with no server required.
Do I need to install anything to use Ghostty Playground?
No installation is required. Ghostty Playground runs 100% in your browser using WebAssembly. You simply visit the website and start using the terminal immediately. This works across any device with a modern browser that supports WebAssembly and WebGPU.
What command-line tools are available in Ghostty Playground?
The playground includes bash, git, npm, Node.js, and Bash as core command-line tools. Node.js operates at near-native performance via WebAssembly. Python is also available but remains in preview mode with uncertain performance characteristics.
How do I change themes in Ghostty Playground?
You can explore over 500 standard Ghostty themes in full preview. To access the configuration editor, right-click in the terminal to open the context menu, then access the configuration options where you can preview and select from the full theme library.
Does my filesystem persist between sessions?
Yes, the POSIX-like filesystem persists through OPFS (Origin Private File System). Your files are kept between sessions in your browser's origin private storage, so you can continue working on the same files when you return.
What are BrowserPod Portals and shareable links?
BrowserPod Portals are shareable URLs that the runtime generates when it detects open ports inside a Pod. They allow you to expose HTTP servers running inside the Pod through controlled URLs, making it easy to preview and share web projects you're working on.
Are all Ghostty keybindings available in the playground?
Some keybindings are still being added, and a few won't work due to browser limitations. For example, super+t (which normally creates new tabs) doesn't work in the browser. The project is actively working on adding more keybindings while some remain limited by browser constraints.
What is the ghostty-ai command?
The ghostty-ai command is an experimental feature integrated into Ghostty Playground that allows running small local models via WebLLM. WebLLM provides high-performance in-browser language model inference using WebGPU acceleration, enabling local AI inference without server-side processing.
Is Ghostty Playground still being developed?
Yes, Ghostty Playground is an experimental work-in-progress project. While core features like themes, configuration editor, filesystem, and runtime are functional, improvements are ongoing for tabs, split view, keybindings, and experimental features like ghostty-ai and Python support.
How does Ghostty Playground performance compare to desktop Ghostty?
Node.js operates at near-native performance via WebAssembly in the playground. BrowserPod's WebAssembly kernel provides performance close to native speed, with benchmarks showing fib(35) running in 60ms compared to 65ms in NodeJS on Desktop. However, Python performance in preview mode remains uncertain, and overall performance may vary based on browser and hardware capabilities.