eza — A Modern Colorful Replacement for ls

What eza Does

• Colors by file type — via LS_COLORS or custom scheme
• Git status — show modified/added/ignored files
• File icons — Nerd Font icons for file types
• Tree view — recursive with depth control
• Long format — human-readable sizes, permissions, modified time
• Extended attrs — xattrs, ACLs, selinux
• Sort options — name, size, mtime, accessed, created
• Filters — only dirs, only files, hidden

Architecture

Single Rust binary, replaces ls. Reads filesystem + optional git repo state + file metadata. Parses LS_COLORS for theming. Uses Unicode width for correct alignment.

Self-Hosting

CLI tool.

Key Features

• Drop-in ls replacement
• Git integration
• Nerd Font icons
• Tree view
• Color scheme support
• Accurate Unicode width
• Actively maintained (unlike archived exa)
• Cross-platform

Comparison

FAQ

Q: eza vs lsd? A: Both are great. eza is closer to the standard ls usage and long-format output; lsd has a flashier default look. Personal preference.

Q: Icons show as garbled characters? A: Install a Nerd Font (like JetBrainsMono Nerd Font or FiraCode NF) and enable it in your terminal.

Q: Can it fully replace ls? A: 90% compatible, but do not replace the ls used by system scripts (POSIX requirement). Use a shell alias or PATH override that only affects interactive shells.

Sources

• Docs: https://eza.rocks
• GitHub: https://github.com/eza-community/eza
• License: EUPL 1.2