Complete Linux Development Environment Setup: Zsh, Oh My Zsh, Powerlevel10k, uv, pnpm, Git SSH, and Custom Functions

Every time I installed a new operating system, I went on a spree to find the blogs that worked last time. So I decided to consolidate all that into one blog for me and anyone else like me.

Ready to supercharge your Linux terminal? This guide will walk you step-by-step through setting up a development environment using Zsh, Oh My Zsh, the Powerlevel10k theme, Nerd Fonts, uv (for Python), pnpm (for Node.js), NVM, Git SSH keys, and a collection of custom aliases and functions. Whether you’re on Ubuntu or Arch Linux, you’ll end up with a fast, beautiful terminal tailored for development.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

• A Linux distribution (Ubuntu 20.04+ or Arch Linux)
• Git installed

Step 1: Install Zsh

For Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install zsh

For Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S zsh

Verify the installation:

zsh --version

Step 2: Change Shell

Check if zsh is available:

chsh -l

If it is listed, make zsh your default shell:

chsh -s /usr/bin/zsh

Log out, log back in, and confirm:

echo $SHELL
# /usr/bin/zsh

Step 3: Install Fonts

Powerlevel10k requires a patched font to display its icons. Let’s install one:

For Ubuntu/Debian (Powerline Font):

# Install required packages
sudo apt-get install fonts-powerline
# clear cache if required
fc-cache

For Arch Linux:

I like to use getnf on Arch Linux to install fonts. The same Powerline font may work here too, but I have not tried it.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/getnf/getnf/main/install.sh | bash

or using an AUR helper:

yay -S getnf

getnf

Then choose a font you like and install it.

#remove cache if required
fc-cache

Step 4: Install Oh My Zsh

Install Oh My Zsh using the official installer:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"

Step 5: Install Powerlevel10k Theme

Clone the Powerlevel10k theme repository:

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k

Step 6: Configure Powerlevel10k

1. Open your Zsh configuration file:

nano ~/.zshrc

2. Change the theme line to:

ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k"

3. Save and reload the configuration:

source ~/.zshrc

4. The Powerlevel10k configuration wizard will start automatically. Follow the prompts to customize your prompt. Here are some recommended settings:

• Character Set: Choose Unicode (supports all symbols)
• Prompt Style: Classic (more traditional) or Rainbow (more colorful)
• Show current time: Yes (useful for timing commands)
• Prompt flow: Concise (cleaner look)
• Enable transient prompt: Yes (clears previous prompt when scrolling)
• Instant prompt: Yes (faster startup)

If it does not start automatically

p10k configure

Step 7: Install Useful Plugins

Oh My Zsh comes with many plugins. Let’s add some popular ones. Edit your ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(
    git # adds [git shortcuts](https://github.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/tree/master/plugins/git)
    zsh-autosuggestions
    zsh-syntax-highlighting
)

Do not put commas between plugins. I have done that ;)

Install Additional Plugins:

# Zsh Autosuggestions
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions

# Zsh Syntax Highlighting
git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting

Step 8: Configure Your Terminal

For GNOME Terminal (Ubuntu):

1. Open Terminal Preferences
2. Go to your profile settings
3. In the “Text” tab, change the font to the newly installed font.
4. Set font size to 12-14 for optimal readability

fc-list #to see all installed fonts

For VS Code and Cursor Terminal:

Set the terminal font to DroidSansM Nerd Font Mono (or whatever font you installed) in your editor settings:

VS Code: Settings → Search “terminal font” → Set “Terminal › Integrated: Font Family” to DroidSansM Nerd Font Mono

Or add to your settings.json:

{
	"terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "'DroidSansM Nerd Font Mono', monospace"
}

Step 9: Customize Your Configuration

Add these useful aliases and settings to your ~/.zshrc:

alias ll='ls -la'
alias la='ls -A'
alias l='ls -CF'
alias ..='cd ..'
alias ...='cd ../..'
alias ....='cd ../../..'

# Git aliases
alias gs='git status'
alias gc='git commit -m'
alias gpf='git push --force'
# soft reset last commit
alias greset='git reset --soft HEAD~1'

# node pnpm aliases

alias npx='pnpx'
alias npm='pnpm'
alias dev='pnpm dev'
alias build='pnpm build'


# Docker aliases
alias d='docker'
alias dc='docker compose'
alias dps='docker ps'
alias dex='docker exec -it'

# Python aliases
alias py='python3'
alias pip='pip3'
alias svp='source .venv/bin/activate' # i use sv cli for svelte so no sv
alias venv='uv venv'

# System aliases
alias update='sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade'  # For Ubuntu
alias update='sudo pacman -Syu'  # For Arch Linux

# Custom functions
function mkcd() {
  mkdir -p "$1" && cd "$1"
}

# Extract any archive
# usage: extract <file>
# example: extract file.tar.gz

extract() {
    if [ -f $1 ] ; then
        case $1 in
            *.tar.bz2)   tar xjf $1     ;;
            *.tar.gz)    tar xzf $1     ;;
            *.bz2)       bunzip2 $1     ;;
            *.rar)       unrar e $1     ;;
            *.gz)        gunzip $1      ;;
            *.tar)       tar xf $1      ;;
            *.tbz2)      tar xjf $1     ;;
            *.tgz)       tar xzf $1     ;;
            *.zip)       unzip $1       ;;
            *.Z)         uncompress $1  ;;
            *.7z)        7z x $1        ;;
            *)          echo "'$1' cannot be extracted via extract()" ;;
        esac
    else
        echo "'$1' is not a valid file"
    fi
}

Step 10: Install uv and pnpm

Install uv:

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Node and pnpm

# Download and install nvm:
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.3/install.sh | bash

# in lieu of restarting the shell
. "$HOME/.nvm/nvm.sh"

# Download and install Node.js. 22 is the LTS version at the time of writing.
# Visit [Node.js site](https://nodejs.org/en/download) to check lts version:
nvm install 22

# Verify the Node.js version:
node -v # Should print "v22.17.0".
nvm current # Should print "v22.17.0".

# Download and install pnpm:
corepack enable pnpm

# Verify pnpm version:
pnpm -v

If you still can’t run pnpm or nvm, add this to ~/.zshrc:

# NVM (Node Version Manager) configuration
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"  # This loads nvm
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh.lazy" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh.lazy"  # This loads nvm lazily
[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && . "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"  # This loads nvm bash_completion

# pnpm configuration
export PNPM_HOME="$HOME/.local/share/pnpm"

Step 11: Git SSH key setup

Generate your SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]" # your email, this is not a valid email

eval `ssh-agent`
# Agent pid 1234

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Add your public key to your GitHub SSH keys:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

For more info, visit GitHub SSH documentation.

Performance Issues

If Zsh feels slow:

1. Disable some plugins you don’t use
2. Use the “instant prompt” feature of Powerlevel10k
3. Consider using a lighter theme if needed

Remember: restarting the terminal always helps.

Step 12: Final Configuration

After all installations, reload your configuration if necessary:

source ~/.zshrc

Congratulations 🎉 You’re done. Bookmark this; you will need it again.