glow

Glow is a terminal‑based markdown reader that renders files with styled formatting directly in the command line. It can locate markdown documents in the current directory hierarchy or within a local Git repository, and it also supports fetching markdown from remote URLs such as GitHub, GitLab, or generic HTTP sources. The tool offers both an interactive textual user interface for browsing and a straightforward CLI for rendering single documents.

Typical users include developers, writers, and system administrators who need to view documentation, notes, or README files without leaving the shell. The interface mirrors familiar pager controls, and the CLI provides options for word wrapping, custom pagers, and selectable visual styles that adapt to light or dark backgrounds. Users can also supply JSON style sheets to define bespoke color schemes.

Glow is distributed as a stable binary for macOS, Linux, Windows, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD, with package manager support across many distributions and an optional Go‑based installation. Its design focuses on fast, high‑performance rendering while keeping the experience fully within the terminal environment.