Is Oh My Zsh Bloat? Why a Minimal Zsh Config Might Be Better

In a world where developer workspaces are increasingly defined by heavy configuration files, a new blog post argues for simplicity. The author challenges the popular consensus that Oh My Zsh—the ubiquitous framework for managing Zsh configurations—is essential for a modern terminal experience.

The critique focuses on performance bloat. With thousands of lines of code executed at every shell startup, Oh My Zsh can significantly slow down spawn times, creating noticeable latency in environments like terminal multiplexers or Integrated Development Environments (IDEs).

Instead of relying on a massive framework, the author proposes a minimalist approach: writing a custom .zshrc. By manually selecting only the specific plugins, aliases, and themes you actually use, you can achieve a snappy, highly responsive shell environment. The post serves as a reminder that while convenience frameworks help onboarding, understanding your tools usually leads to better performance.