# Setting up zsh with Oh My Zsh, NerdFonts, and StarShip I thought I would share a quick write up on how I set up the shell on my MacBook Pro. Here's what I'm going to review in this post: - Set up [Oh my Zsh](https://ohmyz.sh/) - Install a [NerdFont](https://www.nerdfonts.com/) - Set up [Starship](https://starship.rs/) In terms of terminal emulators, I like the good old reliable [iTerm2](https://iterm2.com/). If you don't already have it, you can install it easily with [homebrew](https://brew.sh/) `brew install --cask iterm2`. # Set up Oh My Zsh [Oh my Zsh](https://ohmyz.sh/) has a scripted installer available, so it's really simple to get it installed. Open up iTerm2 and run `sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"` **Note:** You should definitely check the install script before running it! ![iTerm2 install OhMyZSH](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657202586183/sn866akmF.png align="left") Great we're installed! But, what's this? Some of my old installed apps aren't working (like NVM)? Oh My Zsh overwrites your `~/.zshrc` file, so you will have to edit it to add your missing configuration back in. Your original config was backed up by the installer to `~/.zshrc.pre-oh-my-zsh`. While you're editing your `~/.zshrc`, it's also a good idea to read through all the new options that were added. Once you're done with your edits, restart your terminal and you're off! ![image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657203520984/L4FC0K2pj.png align="left") Finally, if you ever want to uninstall Oh My Zsh, just run `uninstall_oh_my_zsh` from your terminal. It will reset your old `~/.zshrc` file, too. ## Plugins One of the big reasons I like Oh My Zsh is their [absolutely massive list of plugins](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/wiki/Plugins-Overview). It's easy to enable too many and forget what you even have loaded (and slow down your shell as well!). The ones I use are [aliases](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/aliases), [aws](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/aws), [git](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/git), [macos](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/macos), [npm](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/npm) & [nvm](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/nvm). If I dive into specific areas, like docker/k8s, I'll add additional plugins as needed and then remove them when I'm done. # Install a NerdFont Next up is installing a [NerdFont](https://www.nerdfonts.com/). What is a NerdFont? From the website: > Nerd Fonts patches developer targeted fonts with a high number of glyphs (icons). Specifically to add a high number of extra glyphs from popular ‘iconic fonts’ such as Font Awesome, Devicons, Octicons, and others. Essentially, this means you get a font library with a ton of extras that you can use in the console, or anywhere else. So head over to [the download area](https://www.nerdfonts.com/font-downloads) and grab a font that you like. I like [FiraCode](https://www.programmingfonts.org/#firacode). And since I have brew, I install it with `brew tap homebrew/cask-fonts && brew install --cask font--nerd-font`. ![NerdFont install via brew](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657212184359/ln8EGU1kC.png align="left") And, yes, you may need to figure out the font name... Next time, remember, you can search with `brew search --casks ` to take the guesswork out. To use the font as your primary in your terminal, open the profiles editor, edit your default profile, and select the NerdFont you downloaded. ![Open iTerm2 profiles](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657212536674/6k7LRcT1Z.png align="left") ![Change font to FiraCode](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657212654124/D4XRKoKo4.png align="left") # Install StarShip The last thing to do is set up [StarShip](https://starship.rs/), a fast cross-shell prompt written in [rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/). Using homebrew, the install couldn't be simpler. Just `brew install starship`. ![Brew installing StarShip](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657213082074/873Dbl1jW.png align="left") Once installed, you can `echo 'eval "$(starship init zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc` to get it to load in your shell every time. Now we have a great prompt, with useful feedback and near infinite customizability. Here is an example of the default when you're in a node project (CDK app in this case). And if you're curious about anything in your prompt, a quick `starship explain` will give you some really useful information. ![Starship Example](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657213482286/asJS3YcW-.png align="left") [image.png](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1657213376040/jfWX1mng4.png align="left") # Other Customizations There are a lot of other little extras that I add in, but the basics are above. I'm a fan of the setup used in the [examples of StarShip](https://starship.rs/faq/#what-is-the-configuration-used-in-the-demo-gif). - [zsh-autosuggestions](https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions) - For some nice autosuggestion display functionality. - [zsh-syntax-highlighting](https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting) - for those long, complicated command lines with lots of escapes and special characters. - [iterm2-snazzy](https://github.com/sindresorhus/iterm2-snazzy) - For a nice color scheme in iTerm2.