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Recording a terminal session for a bug report or live coding walkthrough on Linux means choosing between performance, format support, and desktop environment compatibility. Unlike Windows or macOS, where OBS Studio is the obvious pick, Linux offers several specialized recorders. This guide compares five actively maintained tools, covering installation, key features, and ideal use cases for developers and cybersecurity learners.

Why Your Desktop Environment Matters

Before picking a recorder, check whether you run X11 (legacy) or Wayland (modern). Many older recorders rely on X11 APIs and will capture only a black screen on Wayland. If you use a compositor like GNOME on Wayland or Sway, you need a tool that supports the PipeWire screencast portal or the wlr-screencopy protocol. The table below summarises compatibility.

OBS Studio – The Swiss Army Knife

OBS Studio remains the most feature-complete recorder on any platform. It supports scene compositing, multiple audio tracks, and real-time streaming. If you're recording an IDE or a vulnerable VM for a lab report, being able to capture just that window without cropping is a huge time-saver. You can install it via your package manager or Flatpak:

sudo apt install obs-studio   # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install obs-studio   # Fedora
flatpak install flathub com.obsproject.Studio

On Wayland, OBS uses the PipeWire portal, which usually works out of the box on GNOME and KDE. However, if you need to record a full-screen game or a Vulkan application, consider using the obs-vkcapture plugin for Vulkan capture. OBS outputs to MKV by default (lossless), but you can remux to MP4 in the application. For cybersecurity labs where you might later analyse frames, the lossless mode is a clear advantage.

SimpleScreenRecorder – Lightweight and Reliable

If OBS feels overkill, SimpleScreenRecorder (SSR) is a no-nonsense alternative that consumes far less CPU. It records to MKV or MP4 with configurable bit rate and frame rate. SSR is ideal for recording a terminal session while compiling code or running a network scan in a controlled lab environment. It does not support Wayland, so X11 users get the best experience. Install it with:

sudo apt install simplescreenrecorder

One underrated feature is the “record audio from speakers and microphone simultaneously” option, which lets you narrate a tutorial while capturing system audio from a vulnerable machine – useful when documenting an exploitation exercise in a safe, isolated lab. Remember that all recordings should stay within legal boundaries; never capture real credentials or proprietary data.

Kazam – Simple GUI for Beginners

Kazam offers a minimal interface: select full screen, a window, or an area, then hit record. It lacks advanced options like hardware encoding or scene switching, but its simplicity makes it a good choice for beginners who just need to record a short snippet of code or a quick bug report. Kazam works only on X11 and produces MP4 or WebM files. On Ubuntu, install it via:

sudo apt install kazam

Because Kazam does not support Wayland, it is slowly being phased out in favour of newer tools. However, for legacy systems or lightweight X11 sessions (e.g., XFCE, LXQt), it remains perfectly functional.

Peek – Animated GIFs and Short Clips

Peek is not a general-purpose recorder; it specialises in creating animated GIFs and short MP4/WebM clips of a small area of the screen. It is perfect for embedding a quick animation of a terminal command or a UI interaction into a blog post or documentation. Peek uses the ffmpeg backend and supports Wayland via the wlr-screencopy protocol (mainly on Sway, but also on GNOME with the xdg-desktop-portal-gnome backend). Install it from your distribution or as a Flatpak:

sudo apt install peek

For a developer writing a tutorial on detecting malware like AndroRAT, a short Peek GIF showing the detection steps in Wireshark can make the explanation much clearer. (If you need a full lab walkthrough, check out our guide How AndroRAT Works and How to Detect It: A Hands-On Lab Guide for a complete workflow.)

GPU Screen Recorder – High-Performance for NVIDIA/AMD

GPU Screen Recorder (GSR) is a relatively new tool that leverages hardware encoders (NVENC on NVIDIA, AMF on AMD) to record with minimal CPU overhead. It is designed primarily for game capture, but it works equally well for recording high-resolution desktop sessions, including Wayland. GSR outputs directly to MP4 with H.264/H.265 encoding. Installation requires adding a repository or building from source. For Ubuntu:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:flexiondotorg/gpu-screen-recorder
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gpu-screen-recorder

GSR runs as a background process; you control it via a system tray icon or command-line flags. For example, to record a region at 60 FPS with NVENC:

gpu-screen-recorder -w "region" -c mp4 -f 60 -a "default_output" -o ~/Videos/

This tool is ideal for recording resource-intensive tasks like compiling a large project or running a full network scan in a virtual lab without slowing down the host.

Which One Should You Install?

Your decision depends on your desktop environment and the type of recording you need. Here is a quick decision tree:

• Wayland + NVIDIA GPU → GPU Screen Recorder (best performance) or OBS Studio (most features).
• Wayland + Intel/AMD → OBS Studio with VAAPI.
• X11 + need low CPU usage → SimpleScreenRecorder.
• X11 + quick GIFs → Peek.
• X11 + absolute beginner → Kazam.

Practical Tips for Recording in a Cybersecurity Lab

When you record a penetration testing exercise (always in your own lab with permission), follow these best practices:

• Use a dedicated virtual machine or container for the target; never record on a production network.
• Obfuscate any real IP addresses or personal data that might appear on screen.
• Set a reasonable frame rate (15-30 FPS) to keep file sizes manageable while still capturing command outputs.
• If you plan to share the recording publicly, ensure no license-restricted software is visible in the frame.

For a lightweight Wayland-native recorder that outputs small MP4 files, GPU Screen Recorder with NVENC is currently the best option for NVIDIA users; for everyone else, SimpleScreenRecorder remains the most reliable all-rounder on X11, and OBS Studio is the universal fallback that works on both display servers with a bit of configuration.