Raijin: A No-Fuss, No-API-Key Weather TUI

Sometimes you just want to check the weather without the ceremony. No signing up for a service, no copying and pasting API keys into config files, no worrying about monthly request limits. You want a simple, fast, and clean answer right in your terminal. That’s exactly the itch Raijin scratches.

It’s a free and open-source Terminal User Interface (TUI) that gives you current weather and a forecast with a single command. In a world of bloated apps and complex integrations, its straightforward approach is a breath of fresh air.

What It Does

Raijin is a command-line tool that fetches and displays weather data directly in your terminal. You run it, and it shows you the current conditions and a multi-day forecast for your location. The interface is clean, using symbols and colors to present temperature, precipitation, wind, and other details at a glance. It’s designed to be quick, informative, and then get out of your way.

Why It’s Cool

The standout feature is its simplicity, and that’s by clever design. Raijin doesn’t require an API key, account, or subscription. It works by leveraging a free, public weather API in a way that respects its terms, making it a truly zero-configuration tool for the end user. You install it, run it, and you’re done.

This makes it incredibly easy to integrate into your daily workflow. Stick it in a terminal pane in your IDE, alias it to a short command like wx, or even pipe its output elsewhere. It’s perfect for a quick check without leaving your development environment or switching contexts. The TUI is built with modern Rust libraries, so it’s snappy and feels solid to use.

How to Try It

Getting started is straightforward, especially if you have Cargo installed.

1. Clone and install:

   git clone https://github.com/MasonStooksbury/Raijin
   cd Raijin
   cargo install --path .
   

   This will compile and install the raijin binary on your system.

2. Run it: Simply type raijin in your terminal. It will automatically try to determine your location and display the weather.

For more details, alternative installation methods (like pre-built binaries), or to contribute, check out the full repository.

Final Thoughts

Raijin is a great example of a tool that does one thing well. It removes all the friction from checking the weather. As developers, we often live in our terminals, and having a reliable, fast tool like this that doesn’t add maintenance overhead is genuinely useful. It’s the kind of project that makes you think, "Why isn’t everything this simple?"

Give it a try next time you’re wondering if you should grab a jacket.

Follow for more cool projects: @githubprojects