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73 lines
1.6 KiB
Markdown
73 lines
1.6 KiB
Markdown
# screen — Simple Persistent Terminal Sessions
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## Problem
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Same problem as tmux: SSH sessions die, jobs get killed, long-running tasks need to survive disconnects. screen is the older, simpler alternative to tmux — universally available and gets the job done with minimal setup.
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## Solution
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`screen` creates detachable terminal sessions. It's installed by default on many systems, making it useful when tmux isn't available.
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### Installation (Fedora)
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```bash
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sudo dnf install screen
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```
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### Core Workflow
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```bash
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# Start a named session
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screen -S mysession
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# Detach (keeps running)
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Ctrl+a, d
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# List sessions
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screen -list
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# Reattach
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screen -r mysession
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# If session shows as "Attached" (stuck)
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screen -d -r mysession
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```
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### Start a Background Job Directly
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```bash
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screen -dmS mysession bash -c "long-running-command 2>&1 | tee /root/output.log"
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```
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- `-d` — start detached
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- `-m` — create new session even if already inside screen
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- `-S` — name the session
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### Capture Current Output Without Attaching
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```bash
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screen -S mysession -X hardcopy /tmp/screen_output.txt
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cat /tmp/screen_output.txt
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```
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### Send a Command to a Running Session
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```bash
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screen -S mysession -X stuff "tail -f /root/output.log\n"
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```
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---
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## screen vs tmux
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| Feature | screen | tmux |
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|---|---|---|
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| Availability | Installed by default on most systems | Usually needs installing |
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| Split panes | Basic (Ctrl+a, S) | Better (Ctrl+b, ") |
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| Scripting | Limited | More capable |
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| Config complexity | Simple | More options |
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Use screen when it's already there or for quick throwaway sessions. Use tmux for anything more complex. See [tmux](tmux.md).
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---
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