TopolearnOnce tmux is your workspace, quick switching between projects and servers is what keeps it organised.
One session per project or task keeps windows manageable. From inside tmux:
C-b sshows a tree of sessions; pick one to switch the current client to it.C-b (andC-b )switch to the previous / next session,C-b Lto the last one used.C-b $renames the current session.C-b :new -s apicreates a new session without leaving tmux (you are switched to it).
From the shell, tmux switch-client -t api does the same, and tmux kill-server ends every session at once.
Remote work. Run tmux on the server, not on your laptop, when the point is to survive disconnects: ssh host -t 'tmux new -A -s main' connects and attaches in one go (-t forces a terminal, which tmux needs). If you also run tmux locally, you now have nested tmux: the outer one catches C-b. Press C-b C-b to send the prefix to the inner tmux, or use a different prefix on servers.
Inside tmux the environment variable $TMUX is set. Shell startup files can check it, for example to auto-attach only when not already inside tmux: [ -z "$TMUX" ] && tmux new -A -s main.
Several clients can attach to the same session at once (say, for pair programming); they all see and control the same windows.
Example
tmux new -d -s api -c ~/code/api # create detached, in a directory
tmux new -d -s web -c ~/code/web
tmux ls # api: 1 windows ... / web: 1 windows ...
tmux attach -t api
# C-b s choose a session from a tree
# C-b ) next session
# C-b $ rename session
ssh prod-1 -t 'tmux new -A -s main' # attach on a server in one step
[ -z "$TMUX" ] && echo "not inside tmux"Remember
- C-b s picks a session, C-b ( and ) cycle, C-b $ renames
- ssh host -t 'tmux new -A -s main' for remote persistence
- Nested tmux: C-b C-b sends the prefix to the inner one
Watch out for
- Running long remote jobs in a local tmux pane: a dropped connection still kills them. Run tmux on the server.