Record Terminal Sessions as SVG with termsvg

When writing technical documentation, sometimes a static screenshot isn’t enough to explain a complex CLI workflow, but a video file is too heavy or requires a dedicated player.

termsvg solves this by capturing your terminal session and converting it into a lightweight, scalable, and beautiful SVG animation that plays directly in any modern web browser.

1. Installation

termsvg is a Go-based tool. You can install it using go install:

go install github.com/mrmarble/termsvg/cmd/termsvg@latest

Ensure your $GOPATH/bin is in your $PATH so you can run the command from anywhere.

Or using brew for MacOS users

brew install termsvg

2. Basic Usage

2.1 Record a session

Recording a session is straightforward. Run the command and specify the output filename:

termsvg rec terminal-recording-$(date +"%Y%m%d_%H%M%S").cast

Once you run this command:

1. A new shell session starts.
2. Everything you type and every output generated is recorded.
3. To stop recording, simply type exit or press Ctrl+D.

2.2 Playback

termsvg play terminal-recording-20260509_110827.cast

2.3 Convert to SVG

termsvg export terminal-recording-20260509_110827.cast

That generates a file named terminal-recording-20260509_110827.svg in the current directory.

3. Why Use termsvg?

• Scalability: Being an SVG, you can zoom in infinitely without losing quality.
• Searchable: The text inside the SVG is often selectable and searchable (depending on the viewer).
• Lightweight: Much smaller than a GIF or a video for short terminal snippets.
• No Plugins: Works natively in HTML using a simple <img> tag or an <object> tag.

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Conclusion

termsvg is an essential tool for any DevOps engineer or technical writer who wants to create clear, interactive, and high-performance terminal demonstrations. Give it a try for your next blog post or project README!