Local Unix terminal for iOS. Run C, C++, Python, JS, sh & all Unix commands locally on your phone, no network connection required.
Powerful when combined with Shortcuts.
a-Shell is a complete local terminal emulator, allowing to run most Unix commands on your iOS device. You can transfer files using scp and curl, edit them with vim and ed, process them using grep, awk and sed. You can work with git repositories using lg2.
Most commands are compiled for iOS native Arm64 format, making them fast and well integrated with the BSD Unix that powers iOS/iPadOS.
a-Shell includes Python, Lua, Perl, JavaScript, C, C++ for programming and TeX (texlive 2025, with Tikz and LuaTeX) for text processing.
There are also multiple network utilities: nslookup, ping, whois, ifconfig... Type help for help, help -l to get the full list of commands.
a-Shell can be controlled from Shortcuts: run commands in order, process files in a-Shell, get the results as text or files, transfer files to other apps...
a-shell uses iOS 13+ “multiple windows” ability, so you can run multiple shells at the same time, with different commands, in different directories. You can edit a file in one window with vim and process it in the other with python.
Compile your C or C++ programs to webAssembly using clang or clang++, and execute the resulting binary. A complete webAssembly SDK is included (WASI-libc).
a-Shell is the complete version. If you need a smaller app, and you don't need a C compiler, a TeX engine, or numpy and matplotlib, there is a-Shell mini.
This developer is doing us all such a service with these free, functional and fully featured apps.I cannot recommend this enough. If you need a terminal, get downloading!The only feedback I have is there’s an absence of ssh-copy-id at present. Not the end of the world but it would be a nice convenience.
Please Work On VoiceOver Support
Sgucukoglu
I appreciate the effort and thought you've shown so far, but please try Ish to see exemplary VoiceOver support: announces changes as they arrive, allows input using Braille Screen Input, can reach and use the Control switch (without which, of course, I have to force-kill the app just to get a new prompt). That having been said, great app, I'm using it as a turbo-charged Python interpreter, and this and Ish complement each other for maximum pocket Unix power and awesomeness. So thank you.
Outstanding tool for advanced users
AO NE
I didn’t know such a tool even existed. This takes iOS to new heights. I use this with shortcuts to remux my mkv videos to mp4 to play them using the native player. Literally takes 3 seconds to remux a 2h movie.
Task warrior for the win
LaviniaGL
I love this app - first proper one that allows me to run task warrior on iOS. One thing it's missing: allowing me to store task warrior data in Dropbox/iCloud instead of the obscure container I can't figure out how to sync! Would be great so that I can use it with my macos.But still - amazing!
Fixes multiple issues with libgit2. This should fix the case where lg2 crashes randomly.
Version 1.17.5
The developer, Nicolas Holzschuch, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary based, for example, on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Provider
Nicolas Holzschuch
Size
2 GB
Category
Developer Tools
Compatibility
Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 14.0 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 14.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
