rabby/docs/tabby-comparison.md

Rabby vs Tabby Feature Comparison

Generated after the Rust/Tauri core expansion on podman:/home/tyou/src/rabby.

Summary

Rabby now has modeled coverage for every major Tabby feature class from the Tabby README/module survey. This means the architecture, typed Rust domain model, validation rules, and unit tests exist for each class. It does not mean Rabby has production runtime parity with Tabby yet: many protocol implementations still need real adapters and UI wiring before the feature can honestly be marked Implemented.

Status definitions

Status	Meaning
Implemented	Runtime behavior, UI/Tauri path, and tests/smoke checks exist.
Modeled	Rust model/validation/tests exist; runtime/UI integration remains.
UI Prototype	Visible shell/UI or path resolver exists, but runtime parity remains.
Planned	Known feature class with no model yet.

Comparison

Tabby feature class	Tabby capability	Rabby status	Rabby coverage now	Remaining work
VT terminal	VT220 terminal + extensions	Modeled	TerminalGrid + AnsiParser parse text, ANSI color, cursor movement, clear screen, resize, bracketed paste flag.	Replace small parser with full VT engine adapter and renderer integration.
Nested splits	Multiple nested split panes	Modeled	Recursive PaneNode with split axis/ratio validation and serialization tests.	UI drag/drop and live pane lifecycle.
Remembered tabs	Tabs on any side and restored tabs	Modeled	Workspace, Tab, active tab, serde round-trip.	Persist/restore at app startup and side-tab UI options.
Quake console	Dockable window/global spawn hotkey	Modeled	quake_mode modeled in workspace.	OS global hotkey registration and Tauri window show/hide command.
Progress notifications	Process progress and completion notifications	Modeled	Tab progress field and tests.	Runtime process detector + desktop notifications.
Paste ergonomics	Bracketed paste, multiline warning, RMB paste, copy-on-select	Modeled	Terminal parser tracks bracketed paste mode.	UI paste confirmation/RMB/copy-on-select behavior.
Unicode/ligatures	Unicode, double-width chars, ligatures	Modeled	UTF-8 text accepted in terminal grid tests.	Accurate grapheme width and font ligature rendering.
Local shell profiles	Local shells, WSL/Git-Bash/etc.	Modeled	Local profile command and PTY boundary exist.	Real cross-platform PTY process adapter and profile detection.
SSH client	SSH2 connection manager	Modeled	SshOptions model validates host/user/port.	Real SSH session adapter.
SSH forwarding/jump hosts	X11, port forwarding, jump hosts, agent forwarding, login scripts	Modeled	SshOptions includes jump hosts, agent forwarding, X11, forwards, login scripts.	Real russh/libssh2 integration and UI.
Telnet	Integrated Telnet client	Modeled	TelnetOptions validates host/port.	Real Telnet adapter.
Serial terminal	Saved serial, readline, hex/hexdump, newline conversion, auto reconnect	Modeled	SerialOptions models baud, newline mode, hex input/output, auto reconnect.	Real serialport adapter and UI.
SFTP/Zmodem	SFTP and Zmodem transfer	Modeled	TransferRequest validates SFTP/Zmodem upload/download and path safety.	Actual transfer protocol adapters and progress UI.
Encrypted secrets	Encrypted SSH secrets/config	Modeled	SecretString redacts debug output; SecretStore boundary exists.	OS keychain/encrypted-file implementation.
Themes/color schemes	Themes and color schemes	Modeled	Theme model validates color tokens; built-in Rabby Dark.	Theme import/export and live UI theme switching.
Shortcuts/command palette	Configurable and multi-chord shortcuts	Modeled	ShortcutSequence parses single/multi-chord bindings and rejects duplicates.	Frontend command palette and key event dispatcher.
Plugins	Plugin manager and ecosystem	Modeled	PluginManifest with permission validation.	Plugin install/update sandbox and execution model.
Portable/web	Portable mode and web SSH/SFTP/Telnet	UI Prototype	Static UI, Tauri shell, and portable config path resolver.	Web daemon/service surface and remote auth model.

Current test coverage

./scripts/check.sh verifies:

• cargo fmt --all -- --check
• cargo test --workspace
• cargo check --workspace
• cargo build --release -p rabby

Latest passing counts:

• rabby-core: 40 unit tests
• rabby-runtime: 6 unit tests

Refactor notes

The codebase is now split along cleaner expansion boundaries:

• rabby-core: feature catalog, workspace, config, terminal model, connection options, transfers, secrets, shortcuts, plugins, themes.
• rabby-runtime: config storage and PTY runtime boundaries.
• src-tauri: still thin shell.
• ui: static UI prototype, to be split into state/render modules before deeper UX work.

Next honest parity milestone

The next milestone should convert selected modeled features into implemented runtime features in this order:

1. Real local PTY adapter and Tauri terminal commands.
2. UI state/render refactor and live terminal pane rendering.
3. Profile manager UI for local/SSH/Telnet/Serial profiles.
4. Real SSH adapter, then SFTP.
5. Serial/Telnet adapters.
6. Secrets/keychain implementation.
7. Plugin installer/sandbox.