Yet, another ls-like util that is not trying to replace ls.
Cerium gets inspiration from similar tools such as lsd and eza, but with a small difference: It aims to stay small by avoiding features that introduce heavy dependencies while doing what a tool of its kind is supposed to do... list files and directories.
Availability
| Platform | Tested | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Android/Termux | yes |
checksum |
| Linux/Unix | yes |
checksum, filemagic |
| MacOS | no |
not tested |
| Windows | not planned |
not planned |
Development
Development happens on Codeberg. The GitHub repository is a read-only mirror used solely for crates.io deployments. Issues should be opened on either GitHub or Codeberg, but pull requests should be opened only on Codeberg.
Table of Contents
Installation
Quick Install (with Cargo)
# Standard installation with all features cargo install cerium --all-features # Minimal installation cargo install cerium # Specific features cargo install cerium --features magic cargo install cerium --features checksum
Build from Source
# Clone the repo git clone https://codeberg.org/rly0nheart/cerium.git # Move to cerium directory cd cerium # Build and install: This will build cerium with all its features make install
Features (optional)
Magic
Content-based file type identification using libmagic. Shows actual file types regardless of extension.
Requirements: libmagic library (scripts/install-libmagic.sh)
Checksum
Calculate file checksums with multiple algorithms.
Supported: crc32, md5, sha224, sha256, sha384, sha512
Usage
Display Options
-1, --oneline One entry per line -l, --long Long format (permissions, user, group, size, modified) -t, --tree Tree view -H, --column-headers Show column headers
Filtering
-a, --all Include hidden entries -d, --dirs Directories only -f, --files Files only --find <QUERY> Search for entries that match a query --hide <ENTRIES> Exclude specific entries (comma-separated) --prune Omit empty directories
Metadata Display
-p, --permission File permissions -u, --user Owner -g, --group Group -s, --size File size -m, --modified Modification time -c, --created Creation time --accessed Access time -i, --inode Inode number -b, --blocks Block count --hard-links Hard link count --acl ACL indicator -x, --xattr Extended attributes --mountpoint Mount point
Sorting & Traversal
--sort <BY> name, size, created, accessed, modified, extension, inode -r, --reverse Reverse order -R, --recursive Recurse into subdirectories -S, --true-size Calculate actual directory sizes
Formatting
--date-format <FMT> locale, human, timestamp --number-format <FMT> human, natural --ownership-format <FMT> name, id --permission-format <FMT> symbolic, octal, hex --size-format <FMT> bytes, binary, decimal
Appearance
-C, --colo[u]rs <WHEN> always, auto, never -I, --icons <WHEN> always, auto, never -Q, --quote-name auto, double, single, never
Examples
Basic Operations
ce -la # Long format, all files ce -t # Tree view ce -lt --icons=always # Tree with metadata and icons ce --find=*.rs --sort=size -r # Find Rust files, sort by size
Metadata Inspection
ce -pugm --date-format=humanly # Permissions, ownership, modified date, human dates ce -i --hard-links --sort=inode # Inodes and hard links ce --acl -x # ACLs and extended attributes ce -lb --block-size # Block usage
Advanced Usage
ce --magic --checksum sha256 # Type detection + checksums ce -RS --true-size # Recursive with actual directory sizes ce --hide=target,node_modules -t # Tree excluding build artifacts ce --permission-format=octal -p # Octal permissions ce --ownership-format=id -ug # Numeric UIDs/GIDs
Combined Operations
ce -laH --date-format=humanly --size-format=binary ce --find=.pdf --checksum md5 --sort=modified -r ce -t --prune --hide=.git,target --icons=always
Themes
Cerium supports customisable themes via a TOML configuration file. By default, it uses the Gruvbox colour palette.
Quick Start
# Apply a pre-made theme cp themes/dracula.toml ~/.config/cerium.toml
Available Themes
See themes/README.md for the full list of pre-made themes, installation instructions, and customisation guide.
Licence
MIT Licence. See choosealicense for more details.