Install viu with Homebrew, apk, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• viu

Project history

Early viu documentation described a Rust tool that rendered images with Unicode half-block characters, fitting two vertical pixels into one terminal cell by using foreground and background colors. Later README documentation emphasizes native iTerm and Kitty graphics protocol support, with fallback block rendering when those protocols are unavailable.

The current project is closely tied to `viuer`, a Rust library for displaying images in terminals. This split lets the executable remain a focused CLI while the rendering logic can also be reused by other Rust programs.

Adoption history

viu's adoption is strongest in the modern terminal-tooling niche rather than in a large application ecosystem. It appears in Rust package indexes, OS package collections, and recommendation lists for users who want image previews from the command line.

Recent GitHub release and issue activity shows continued attention to practical terminal protocol support, including error handling, dependency refreshes, block-output forcing, and experimental Sixel work.

How it is used

Users invoke `viu` with an image path, GIF, or input stream to preview media directly in the terminal. The README documents source installation with Cargo, binary releases, packages, examples, aspect-ratio handling, and command-line options.

When a supported terminal is detected, viu can use higher-fidelity inline image protocols; otherwise it remains usable through color block rendering. That fallback is important for broad terminal compatibility.

Why package nerds care

viu is significant as a compact Rust media CLI that bridges old and new terminal capabilities. It turns the terminal from a text-only surface into a lightweight visual inspection surface without making the user adopt a full TUI file manager.

For package collectors, it sits with tools such as `chafa`, `timg`, and terminal file managers that rely on Kitty, iTerm, Sixel, truecolor, or Unicode rendering tricks to bring richer media into shells.

Timeline

• 2019: Public discussion and early package pages show viu as a Rust terminal image viewer using block rendering and iTerm or Kitty support.
• 2020s: The project centered the reusable `viuer` library and documented viu as its CLI frontend.
• 2024-2026: Release and issue activity continued around dependency updates, error behavior, block rendering, Sixel support, and additional image formats.

Related projects

• viu is directly related to `viuer`, the Rust library that provides its terminal image rendering behavior.
• Comparable terminal image viewers include `timg`, `chafa`, and other tools that target Sixel, Kitty graphics, iTerm inline images, truecolor, or block-character fallbacks.

Sources

• batch input source_facts.description and current_curation.tags
• https://crates.io/crates/viu
• https://docs.rs/viu/0.2.2
• https://github.com/atanunq/viu
• https://github.com/atanunq/viu/releases
• https://github.com/atanunq/viuer