asciinema is free, open-source software for recording and sharing terminal sessions as text-based recordings, embeddable anywhere on the web.
Category
Productivity
Pricing
Free (open source), from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2011
Free PlanWeb AppAPIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted
Overview
asciinema is a free, open-source tool created by Marcin Kulik for recording and sharing terminal sessions. It began in 2011 as 'ascii.io' before being renamed and published as asciinema in 2013.
Instead of producing video, asciinema records sessions as lightweight, text-based '.cast' files, which keep file sizes small and let viewers copy-paste text directly out of a played-back recording.
Key Features
Recordings can be embedded in blogs, documentation, and presentations via a JavaScript player, or shared as a link hosted on asciinema.org. The project also supports live terminal streaming for real-time demonstrations.
Pricing & Self-Hosting
asciinema has no paid plans. The CLI (GPLv3) and server software (Apache License 2.0) are both open source and free, and asciinema.org hosts recordings for free. Users who prefer not to rely on asciinema.org can self-host the asciinema server on their own infrastructure.
Key Features
Text-Based Recording — Captures terminal sessions as compact, text-based .cast files instead of video.
Copy-Paste Playback — Viewers can select and copy text directly from a played-back recording.
Embeddable Player — Embed recordings in blogs, docs, and presentations via a JS player.
Live Streaming — Stream a live terminal session to viewers in real time.
Free Hosting — Host recordings for free on asciinema.org.
Self-Hostable Server — Run your own asciinema server instance instead of using asciinema.org.
Pros & Cons
Pros
Completely free, open-source, and self-hostable
Recordings are tiny compared to screen-recording video
Copy-pasteable terminal output improves accessibility and reuse
Simple CLI workflow — record, then share a link
Cons
Only captures terminal/CLI sessions, not GUI applications
Viewers need the asciinema player (or an embed) rather than a standard video player
Self-hosting the server requires basic sysadmin knowledge
Frequently Asked Questions
Is asciinema free?
Yes, asciinema is free and open-source software with no paid tiers.
Can I self-host asciinema?
Yes, the asciinema server (Apache License 2.0) can be self-hosted instead of using asciinema.org.
What license does asciinema use?
The CLI is licensed under GPLv3, and the server is licensed under Apache License 2.0.
Does asciinema record video?
No, it records terminal sessions as text-based .cast files rather than video.