Awesome Mobile Dev

A curated list of tools, guides and workflows for writing, building and shipping software from your phone, with a focus on Termux on Android.

No laptop? No problem. This list collects what actually works on a phone.

Contributions are welcome. Please read the contribution guidelines first.

Contents

• Getting Started
• Terminal Emulators and Core Apps
• Editors and IDEs
• Shells and Productivity
• Version Control and CI
• Languages and Runtimes
• Android Development on Android
• Linux Distros and Desktop
• Remote Access
• Tips and Workflows
• Contributing

Getting Started

• Termux Wiki - Official documentation: package management, storage access, API usage.
• Termux on GitHub - The terminal emulator and Linux environment for Android.
• Termux Packages - Build scripts for every package available through pkg.
• F-Droid - Recommended source for installing Termux and its plugins (keep all Termux apps from the same source).

Terminal Emulators and Core Apps

• Termux:API - Access Android features (clipboard, notifications, sensors, SMS) from the shell.
• Termux:Boot - Run scripts when the device boots.
• Termux:Widget - Start shell scripts from the home screen.
• Termux:Styling - Color schemes and fonts for Termux.
• Termux:Tasker - Run Termux commands from Tasker.

Editors and IDEs

• Neovim - Modal editor, available via pkg install neovim.
• Helix - Modern modal editor with built-in LSP support.
• Micro - Beginner-friendly terminal editor with familiar shortcuts.
• code-server - VS Code in the browser, usable on a phone via a local server.
• Acode - Code editor app for Android with plugin support.

Shells and Productivity

• Zsh and Oh My Zsh - Popular shell and configuration framework.
• Fish - Friendly interactive shell with good defaults.
• Starship - Fast, customizable prompt.
• tmux - Terminal multiplexer, very useful on small screens with extra keys.
• fzf - Fuzzy finder for files and history.
• ripgrep - Fast recursive search.
• bat - cat with syntax highlighting.
• htop - Interactive process viewer.

Version Control and CI

• Git - pkg install git.
• GitHub CLI - Manage repositories, pull requests and Actions from the terminal.
• lazygit - Terminal UI for Git.
• GitHub Actions - Build APKs in the cloud when your phone cannot (see Tips).

Languages and Runtimes

• Python, Node.js, Go, Rust, Clang, Ruby and OpenJDK are available through pkg. Run pkg search <name> to see current versions.

Android Development on Android

• AndroidIDE - IDE that builds Android projects on-device.
• termux-ndk - Prebuilt NDK for Termux (ARM).
• android-sdk-tools - Android SDK tools built for Termux (ARM).

Linux Distros and Desktop

• proot-distro - Install Debian, Ubuntu, Arch and more inside Termux without root.
• Termux:X11 - X server for running graphical Linux apps.

Remote Access

• OpenSSH - pkg install openssh to SSH into your phone or out to a server.
• Mosh - Resilient shell sessions on unstable mobile connections.

Tips and Workflows

• Build without a PC: Push your Android project to GitHub and let GitHub Actions build the APK, then download it from the run's Artifacts.
• Access phone storage: Run termux-setup-storage to link shared storage.
• Keep sessions alive: Use tmux and disable battery optimization for Termux.
• Extra keys: Customize the extra keys row in ~/.termux/termux.properties for Esc, Tab, Ctrl and arrows.
• Backups: tar your $HOME regularly to shared storage.

Contributing

Your contributions are always welcome!

• Add one item per pull request when possible.
• Every entry must be actively maintained and confirmed to work on a phone.
• Use the format: - [Name](link) - Short description ending with a period.
• Keep descriptions neutral, factual and short.
• Keep each section in alphabetical order, or by relevance if stated.
• No affiliate links, ads or self-promotion without real value.
• Check that your link is not already in the list.

License

CC0 1.0 Universal

To the extent possible under law, the contributors have waived all copyright and related rights to this work.