JLine is a Java library for handling console input. It's similar to GNU Readline but with a focus on portability, flexibility, and integration with Java applications. See https://jline.org for its documentation.

• Java 11 or higher: JLine requires Java 11 as the minimum runtime version

• Cross-platform support: Works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like systems
• Line editing: Emacs and Vi editing modes with customizable key bindings
• History management: Persistent command history with search capabilities
• Tab completion: Customizable completion for commands, arguments, and file paths
• Syntax highlighting: Colorize input based on custom rules
• Password masking: Secure input for sensitive information
• ANSI terminal support: Full support for ANSI escape sequences and colors
• Unicode support: Proper handling of wide characters and combining marks
• ConsoleUI components: Interactive UI elements like menus, checkboxes, and prompts

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.jline</groupId>
    <artifactId>jline</artifactId>
    <version>3.30.0</version>
</dependency>

implementation 'org.jline:jline:3.30.0'

Here's a simple example to get you started:

import org.jline.reader.*;
import org.jline.reader.impl.*;
import org.jline.terminal.*;
import org.jline.terminal.impl.*;

public class HelloJLine {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            // Create a terminal
            Terminal terminal = TerminalBuilder.builder()
                    .system(true)
                    .build();

            // Create line reader
            LineReader reader = LineReaderBuilder.builder()
                    .terminal(terminal)
                    .build();

            // Prompt and read input
            String line = reader.readLine("JLine > ");

            // Print the result
            System.out.println("You entered: " + line);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

JLine is organized into several modules:

• jline-terminal: Core terminal functionality
• jline-reader: Line editing and reading
• jline-console: Higher-level console abstractions
• jline-console-ui: Interactive UI components (checkboxes, lists, etc.) - Deprecated
• jline-prompt: Modern prompt API for interactive console applications
• jline-style: Styling and coloring support
• jline-builtins: Built-in commands and utilities
• jline-remote-ssh: SSH server support
• jline-remote-telnet: Telnet server support

JLine provides full support for JPMS starting with version 4.0. The following modules are proper JPMS modules with module-info.java:

These modules remain as automatic modules for compatibility:

When using JLine in a modular application, add the required modules to your module-info.java:

module your.application {
    requires org.jline.terminal;
    requires org.jline.reader;
    requires org.jline.style;        // Optional: for styling
    requires org.jline.builtins;     // Optional: for built-in commands
    requires org.jline.console;      // Optional: for console framework
    requires org.jline.prompt;       // Optional: for modern prompt API
    requires org.jline.console.ui;   // Optional: for legacy UI components (deprecated)
}

Note: The FFM terminal provider (jline-terminal-ffm) requires JDK 22+ and native access permissions:

java --enable-native-access=org.jline.terminal.ffm your.application

• Website
• Wiki
• Javadoc

JLine is licensed under the BSD License.

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.