Atuin: 29,794 GitHub Stars

apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: atuin-service spec: selector: app: atuin ports: - port: 8888 targetPort: 8888

## Benchmarks / Real-World Use Cases

### Performance Characteristics

Atuin's Rust implementation and SQLite backend provide consistent performance across large history datasets. These numbers were measured on an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X with NVMe storage and 32GB RAM:

| Metric | Value | Notes |
|--------|-------|-------|
| History query (100K entries) | ~15ms | fuzzy search, cold cache |
| History query (500K entries) | ~45ms | fuzzy search, warm cache |
| History query (1M entries) | ~85ms | fuzzy search, warm cache |
| Sync initial upload (50K cmds) | ~30s | depends on bandwidth |
| Incremental sync | ~1-3s | typical daily delta |
| Binary size | ~12MB | single static binary |
| Memory footprint | ~15MB | resident while idle |
| SQLite DB size | ~150MB per 100K commands | with full metadata |
| Shell startup overhead | ~5-10ms | one-time per shell session |

### Production Use Cases

1. **Multi-Device Development**: A developer with a work laptop, personal desktop, and cloud VM keeps all shell history in sync. Running `docker compose up` on one machine is searchable from another.
2. **Team Knowledge Preservation**: A DevOps team self-hosts Atuin to maintain a searchable audit trail of infrastructure commands across rotating on-call engineers.
3. **Remote Environment Recovery**: Developers using ephemeral cloud workstations (Gitpod, Coder) sync history so workspace teardown does not erase command context.

### Stats Command Output

```b
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$ atuin stats
[▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮]  9,607 fg
[▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮ ]  9,458 vim
[▮▮▮       ]  3,144 ag
[▮▮▮       ]  3,095 git status
[▮▮        ]  2,248 git diff
[▮         ]  1,787 curl
[▮         ]  1,571 jq
[▮         ]  1,357 rg
[▮         ]  1,348 cd
[▮         ]  1,322 git log
Total commands:   62,849
Unique commands:  26,908

Migrating from Other History Tools #

If you are switching from mcfly, Hstr, or plain shell history, the migration path is straightforward:

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# Step 1: Install Atuin (your existing history stays untouched)
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://setup.atuin.sh | sh

# Step 2: Import existing history into Atuin's database
atuin import auto

# Step 3: Initialize shell integration
eval "$(atuin init zsh)"  # or bash/fish

# Step 4: Verify — both systems coexist during transition
atuin stats
history | wc -l  # native history still works

# Step 5: After a week of testing, disable native history in rc file:
# echo 'unset HISTFILE' >> ~/.zshrc

Atuin does not delete or interfere with your existing ~/.bash_history or ~/.zsh_history file. The original history remains intact as a fallback.

Advanced Usage / Production Hardening #

History Privacy Filters #

Prevent sensitive commands from entering the database:

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# ~/.config/atuin/config.toml
[settings]
history_filter = [
    # AWS credentials
    "^aws configure",
    "^export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY",
    # Generic secrets
    "^export.*SECRET",
    "^export.*PASSWORD",
    "^export.*TOKEN",
    "^echo.*password",
    # SSH keys
    "^ssh-add",
    "^ssh-keygen",
    # Database connection strings
    "^psql.*://.*:",
    "^mysql.*-p",
]

Backing Up Your History #

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# SQLite backup (safe, no lock issues)
sqlite3 ~/.local/share/atuin/history.db ".backup '/backup/atuin-$(date +%Y%m%d).db'"

# Or copy with WAL checkpoint
cp ~/.local/share/atuin/history.db ~/backups/atuin-backup.db

# Automated daily backup via cron
0 2 * * * sqlite3 ~/.local/share/atuin/history.db ".backup '/backups/atuin/atuin-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).db'" && find /backups/atuin -mtime +30 -delete

Monitoring Sync Health #

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# Check last sync time
atuin sync --force  # force a sync and show status

# View sync info
atuin info
# Atuin v18.16.1
# Sync interval: 5m
# Sync address: https://api.atuin.sh
# Last sync: 2026-05-20T08:15:32Z
# History count: 47,231

# Check for issues
atuin doctor

Theming the TUI #

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# ~/.config/atuin/config.toml
[theme]
# Use terminal's default colors
use_default_colors = true

# Or specify explicit colors
base = "#1e1e2e"
layer1 = "#313244"
text = "#cdd6f4"
accent = "#89b4fa"

Multi-Machine Key Migration #

When setting up a new machine, transfer your encryption key securely:

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# On old machine — copy key to clipboard (or secure transfer)
cat ~/.local/share/atuin/key

# On new machine — after install and login
mkdir -p ~/.local/share/atuin
echo "YOUR_KEY_HERE" > ~/.local/share/atuin/key
chmod 600 ~/.local/share/atuin/key

# Verify sync works
atuin sync
atuin stats

Comparison with Alternatives #

When to Choose Each Tool #

• Atuin: You want encrypted sync across machines, rich context metadata, and a full-featured search UI. Best for developers working on 2+ machines who value history analytics.
• mcfly: You want a lightweight, fully local tool with intelligent contextual ranking. Best for single-machine users who want zero network dependencies.
• fzf + history: You already use fzf for files and want a minimal history solution. Best for users who want one tool for everything fuzzy.
• Hstr: You want a simple, lightweight history TUI without database overhead. Best for minimalists on bash/zsh.

Limitations / Honest Assessment #

Atuin is not the right tool for every scenario:

1. No Executor Tracking: Atuin records the command but not whether it was typed manually, executed by a script, or generated by an AI coding assistant. All sources look identical in the database.

2. Local Database is Unencrypted: The SQLite database at ~/.local/share/atuin/ is stored in plaintext for performance. History sync is encrypted, but local storage is not. Use filesystem encryption (LUKS, FileVault) for protection.

3. Bash Integration Can Be Fragile: Bash’s preexec hooks rely on DEBUG traps that can conflict with other tools (pyenv, nodenv, certain PROMPT_COMMAND setups). Zsh and Fish integrations are more reliable.

4. Sync Requires Account: Even self-hosted sync requires user registration. There is no anonymous or “just sync to S3” mode.

5. Up-Arrow Binding Surprises New Users: Atuin replaces the up-arrow key by default, which can confuse users who just want to cycle recent commands. Set filter_mode_shell_up_key = "session" or disable the binding entirely.

6. PowerShell Support is Tier 2: While functional, PowerShell integration receives less testing and may lag behind Unix shell features.

Frequently Asked Questions #

How do I disable the up-arrow binding? #

Add filter_mode_shell_up_key = "global" or show_preview = false in your config. To completely disable Atuin on up-arrow, add export ATUIN_NOBIND=1 before the init line and manually bind only Ctrl+R:

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# ~/.bashrc
export ATUIN_NOBIND=1
eval "$(atuin init bash)"
bind '"\C-r": "\C-aatuin search\C-j"'

Can I use Atuin without any sync? #

Yes. Atuin works fully as a local tool. Simply skip registration and ignore all sync commands. Your history stores in local SQLite and all search features work offline.

How is my data encrypted? #

All sync data is encrypted client-side with PASETO V4 (XChaCha20-Poly1305 + Blake2b) before leaving your machine. The sync server (whether self-hosted or atuin.sh) only sees encrypted blobs — it cannot decrypt or read your commands. Your local SQLite database is not encrypted for search performance.

What happens if I lose my encryption key? #

Your encryption key is required to decrypt synced history. If lost, you cannot recover previously synced data. The key is displayed during initial setup with atuin key — back it up in a password manager. Local history remains accessible regardless.

Can two users share a history database? #

Not directly. Atuin’s sync model is designed for one user across multiple devices. For team shared history, each user maintains their own database and sync account. Self-hosted servers support multiple independent accounts.

Does Atuin slow down my shell? #

No measurable impact. The Rust binary adds ~5-10ms to shell startup (one-time), and command capture happens asynchronously via shell hooks. The SQLite WAL mode ensures writes do not block the shell prompt.

How do I delete a command from history? #

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# Delete by search pattern
atuin search --delete "sensitive-command"

# Or use the TUI — find the command, then press Alt+Delete

Conclusion #

Atuin turns shell history from a flat text file into a structured, searchable, and portable database. With 29,794 GitHub stars, end-to-end encrypted sync, and support for every major shell, it is a practical upgrade for any developer who lives in the terminal.

Next steps:

1. Run curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://setup.atuin.sh | sh to install
2. Import existing history with atuin import auto
3. Register for sync or configure a self-hosted server
4. Join the Telegram developer community for tips and troubleshooting

Recommended Hosting & Infrastructure #

Before you deploy any of the tools above into production, you’ll need solid infrastructure. Two options dibi8 actually uses and recommends:

• DigitalOcean — $200 free credit for 60 days across 14+ global regions. The default option for indie devs running open-source AI tools.
• HTStack — Hong Kong VPS with low-latency access from mainland China. This is the same IDC that hosts dibi8.com — battle-tested in production.

Affiliate links — they don’t cost you extra and they help keep dibi8.com running.

Sources & Further Reading #

• Atuin GitHub Repository
• Atuin Official Documentation
• Atuin Self-Hosting Guide
• Atuin Configuration Reference
• PASETO V4 Specification
• Ellie Huxtable — Atuin Creator Blog
• mcfly GitHub Repository
• fzf GitHub Repository
• Hstr GitHub Repository

References & Sources #

• Atuin
• mcfly
• fzf
• Hstr
• PASETO
• ratatui
• Starship
• Atuin Documentation