Today we welcome Mitchell Hashimoto, co-founder of HashiCorp and creator of Ghostty, a new terminal emulator built in Zig. In this episode, Mitchell shares the story behind Ghostty, how his curiosity about terminals evolved into a full-fledged project, and why Zig became his language of choice.
We also dive into Ghostty’s unique features, the role of libghostty, and why Mitchell believes native-feeling apps are essential for developer experience. Plus, we explore his insights on computer science education, dynamic linking, and what really matters when learning to code.
If you’re into terminals, low-level programming, or just love hearing how great software gets built, this one’s for you!
Learn back-end development - https://www.boot.dev
Listen on your favorite podcast player - https://www.backendbanter.fm
Mitchell's X/Twitter: https://x.com/mitchellh
Ghostty: https://ghostty.org/
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro and Meeting Mitchell
01:06 - Mitchell’s Journey at HashiCorp
03:13 - What is Ghostty and Why Build It?
08:35 - Native Performance and Zig’s Advantage
15:25 - Why Mitchell Chose Zig Over Rust
31:15 - Ghostty’s Road to Package Repositories
52:00 - Future Plans for Ghostty
1:04:02 - Where to Find Mitchell and Ghostty
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