ncurses vs termbox

Struggling to choose between ncurses and termbox? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

ncurses is a Development solution with tags like textbased, terminal, user-interface, tui, curses, menus, forms.

It boasts features such as Text-based user interface library, Supports color, key handling, mouse support, menus, forms, panels, etc, Portable - runs on many operating systems, Wide language support - C, C++, Ada, Python, Perl, Ruby, etc, Built-in support for internationalization and pros including Lightweight, low resource usage, Very customizable and flexible, Mature and stable codebase, Good documentation, Active open source community.

On the other hand, termbox is a Development product tagged with terminal, tui, console, cli, curses, library, bindings.

Its standout features include Provides simple API for creating text UIs, Supports multiple platforms like Linux, Windows, OS X, Supports multiple programming languages like C, C++, Go, Rust, Handles keyboard inputs and mouse events, Provides primitive shapes and widgets like text, rectangles, lines, Abstracts away complexities of terminal control and text rendering, and it shines with pros like Lightweight and fast, Easy to integrate and use, Cross-platform support, Language bindings make it accessible, Actively maintained and improved.

Feature	ncurses	termbox
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

Product Overview

ncurses

Description: ncurses (new curses) is a programming library that provides an API to display text-based user interfaces in a terminal. It offers functions to manipulate the text, colors, and cursor to create interfaces like menus, forms, and more.

termbox

Description: Termbox is a library that provides minimalistic API and abstracts away complexities of creating console/terminal UI applications. It has bindings for C, C++, Go, Rust, and other languages.

Key Features Comparison

ncurses Features

• Text-based user interface library
• Supports color, key handling, mouse support, menus, forms, panels, etc
• Portable - runs on many operating systems
• Wide language support - C, C++, Ada, Python, Perl, Ruby, etc
• Built-in support for internationalization

termbox Features

• Provides simple API for creating text UIs
• Supports multiple platforms like Linux, Windows, OS X
• Supports multiple programming languages like C, C++, Go, Rust
• Handles keyboard inputs and mouse events
• Provides primitive shapes and widgets like text, rectangles, lines
• Abstracts away complexities of terminal control and text rendering

Pros & Cons Analysis

ncurses

Pros

• Lightweight, low resource usage
• Very customizable and flexible
• Mature and stable codebase
• Good documentation
• Active open source community

Cons

• Text-only, no native graphical capabilities
• Steep learning curve
• Not ideal for complex UIs
• Limited built-in widgets

termbox

Pros

• Lightweight and fast
• Easy to integrate and use
• Cross-platform support
• Language bindings make it accessible
• Actively maintained and improved

Cons

• Limited documentation and examples
• Less flexible compared to full GUI frameworks
• Lacks some advanced UI features
• Not many customization options for appearances

Pricing Comparison

ncurses

• Open Source

termbox

• Open Source