Difference Between Vim VS Nano VS Emacs

Vim Text Editor

Vim is the default text editor that is installed already in most Linux distributions. It is one of the most powerful and lightweight text editors that deals with a lot of work purposes, from basic file editing to software development by providing an Integrated Development Environment(IDE). Vim was derived from the Vi text editor which was used in Unix operating system in early 1970/80. Vim text editor is generally preferred for Linux administrators or Developers. It has some special features such as:

• Search and replace
• GUI mode 
• Autocompletion
• Undo/redo
• Color schemes

Also, it has 5 special features such as:

•  It can work with multiple files.
•  Switch the case using the (~) command.
•  Block mode
•  More than one level of undo using the .vimrc file
•  There are multiple plugins available for Vim.

Pros of Vim

• It is a powerful and quite faster text editor.
• It serves in multiple files.
• Most powerful plugins compare to any text editors.

Cons of Vim

• It has complicated work options that make little difficult to use.
• New learners will find it difficult when it comes to use.

Example of Vim

Step 1: We can use the Vim text editor using the vim command

vim gfg.txt

Step 2: There are some basic options used to operate the vim text editor such as

I - insert mode

esc + :wq - save and exit

esc + q! - exit without save

• ESC + yy – copy the text line under the cursor
• ESC + p – paste the copied text line
• ESC + 0 – move the cursor to the starting point of the first line
• ESC + $ – move the cursor to the starting point of the last line 

Nano Text Editor

Nano is the most basic and easiest text editor used in the Linux operating system. It comes pre-installed in most Linux distributions. It is a free open-source text editor which is mostly used by new learner because it has some common command that is used in operations. Nano has great features such as:

• Undo/redo
• File locking
• Line number
• Interactive search and replace
• Syntax coloring
• Backup files

Pros of Nano 

• No need for learning and free to use,
• Great tool for new learners.
• Easy to edit a file.

Cons of Nano

• It is not sufficient for the complicated task.
• It has no support for powerful features such as window splitting, text autocorrection, etc.

Examples of Nano

Step 1: We can use the nano text editor using the nano command

nano gfg.txt

Step 2: There are some options used for nano:

• Ctrl + O: To save a file
• Ctrl + X: To exit a file and it will prompt to save a file if you made changes
• Ctrl + C: To show the current cursor position present under the text
• Ctrl + W: To search for specific phrases 
• Ctrl + \ : To replace word

Emacs Text Editor

As compared to Vi and Nano, Emacs is the most powerful, faster, and more reliable text editor used in Linux, macOS, and Windows operating systems. It is not only the text editor but also has a built-in web browser, calculator, etc. Emacs has tones of features such as:

• Built-in file manager
• Project planner
• Mail and news reader
• Debugger interface
• IRC client
• Calendar
• Easy package installation
• Customizable themes

Pros of Emacs

• Highly customizable 
• A large number of package installation
• Easy to learn and use

Cons of Emacs

• It is not pre-installed, if we want to install then we need root privilege.
• We need to learn Lisp if we need to customize Emacs.

Example of Emacs

Step 1: It doesn’t come pre-installed in most Linux distributions. so we need to install it using the apt package manager

sudo apt install emacs

Step 2: We can use emacs using the emacs command, it will open a new GUI window

emacs gfg.txt

Step 3: We can simply write any text without any use of certain options

Step 4: There are helpful menus available that can take advantage of using emacs.

a. File: File Menu option is used to perform actions on file like, opening file, saving etc.

b. Edit: This option is used to perform Copy, Paste, Search etc. within the file.

c. Options: This option is used to customize the Emacs UI by changing font size and many more operations.

d. Buffers: Buffers in Emacs editing are objects that have distinct names and hold text that can be edited.

e. Tools: Tools option is used to Search files, Compile, Debug the program etc.

f. Text: This option is used to Center Line or Center Paragraph, its all about aligning the contents of file.

g.Help: This option is used to see the manual section of Emacs for better usage

Table of Differences between Vim vs Nano vs Emacs

Basic	Vim	Nano	Emacs
Definition	It is a default text editor installed in the Linux distribution	It is the easiest text editor used in Linux and windows operating system	It is a feature-based text editor used in most the operating system
Usability	It is a little difficult to learn	It is easy to learn and use	It is easy to use compared to Vim and Nano due to built-in features
Supported O/S	Linux and Unix	Linux and Windows	Linux, Windows, and macOS
Creator	It was created by Bram Moolenaar	It was created by Richard Stallman	It was also created by Richard Stallman
Written In	C Language and vim script	C Language	C Language and Emacs Lisp
License	Free software, GPL compatible	GNU GPL	GNU GPL
Stable Version	23.3	9.0	28.2