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React Faulty Terminal Background

React faulty terminal background with WebGL shaders. Features digital grid patterns, glitch effects, and retro CRT aesthetics.

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Ever wanted to recreate that authentic retro terminal aesthetic you see in sci-fi movies, cyberpunk interfaces, or vintage computing displays? Those glitchy digital patterns that flicker with life, complete with scanlines, chromatic aberration, and that distinctive CRT monitor curvature? The way characters appear to materialize from digital noise, creating an atmosphere of technological decay and electronic mystique? Most terminal effects use simple CSS filters or basic animations, but they lack the sophisticated shader algorithms that create truly authentic retro computing visuals.

This React component creates that captivating faulty terminal effect using WebGL shaders with OGL library, featuring procedural digit generation, fractal noise patterns, glitch algorithms, and authentic CRT post-processing that brings vintage computing aesthetics to your interface.

Dynamic terminal grid with authentic retro effects

Watch digital characters emerge from noise with realistic CRT distortions and glitch patterns:

Loading component...

Built for React applications with TypeScript and optimized WebGL rendering. Uses advanced GLSL shaders with fractal noise algorithms for organic digit generation while providing extensive controls for glitch intensity, color grading, and CRT effects. Perfect for cyberpunk themes, retro gaming interfaces, or any application needing that authentic terminal aesthetic.

Installation

npx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/faulty-terminal.json
npx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/faulty-terminal.json
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/faulty-terminal.json
bunx shadcn@latest add https://www.shadcn.io/registry/faulty-terminal.json

Why simple CSS effects feel artificial

Developers create terminal effects with CSS filters and consider them authentic. Maybe they add some basic text shadows or simple animations. The problem? Basic CSS can't capture the complex, mathematically-driven nature of true CRT displays that emerge from electron beam physics, phosphor persistence, and analog signal processing.

Shader-based terminal effects with WebGL changes everything. It taps into the fundamental mathematics of CRT technology—the way electron beams create scanlines, how analog signals introduce noise, the organic beauty that emerges from fractal mathematics and procedural generation. The algorithms use real noise functions and signal processing mathematics to create authentic retro computing experiences.

This component handles complex shader mathematics automatically. Fractal noise generation, digit procedural creation, CRT curvature calculations, and post-processing effects all work together seamlessly. The result feels like peering into an actual vintage terminal display.

Features

  • WebGL shader rendering with advanced GLSL for real-time terminal simulation
  • Procedural digit generation using fractal noise and mathematical pattern algorithms
  • Authentic CRT effects with barrel distortion, scanlines, and phosphor simulation
  • Advanced glitch system with chromatic aberration, flicker, and displacement effects
  • Mouse-responsive patterns with ripple effects and interactive noise modulation
  • Page load animations with progressive cell activation and smooth fade-in sequences
  • Configurable visual parameters with extensive control over all terminal characteristics
  • Performance optimization with efficient shader compilation and WebGL context management
  • Responsive design with automatic canvas scaling and ResizeObserver integration
  • Memory management with proper WebGL context disposal and resource cleanup

API Reference

FaultyTerminal

PropTypeDefaultDescription
scalenumber1Overall terminal grid scale factor
gridMulVec2[2, 1]Grid multiplication factors [x, y]
digitSizenumber1.5Size of individual terminal characters
timeScalenumber0.3Animation speed multiplier
pausebooleanfalsePause all animations
scanlineIntensitynumber0.3Intensity of CRT scanlines (0-1)
glitchAmountnumber1Overall glitch effect strength
flickerAmountnumber1Character flicker intensity
noiseAmpnumber1Fractal noise amplitude
chromaticAberrationnumber0RGB color separation distance
dithernumber | boolean0Dithering noise amount
curvaturenumber0.2CRT screen curvature (0-1)
tintstring"#ffffff"Terminal color tint (hex format)
mouseReactbooleantrueEnable mouse interaction effects
mouseStrengthnumber0.2Mouse influence intensity
pageLoadAnimationbooleantrueEnable progressive load animation
brightnessnumber1Overall display brightness
classNamestring-Additional CSS classes
...propsHTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement>-All standard div props

Terminal Themes

Different color and effect combinations for various aesthetics:

ThemeTintEffectsDescription
Classic Green#00ff00High flicker, medium glitchAuthentic retro terminal
Amber Monitor#ffb000Low flicker, high scanlinesVintage computing display
Blue Screen#00aaffMedium all effectsModern terminal aesthetic
Red Alert#ff0040High glitch, high flickerEmergency system display
White Phosphor#ffffffLow glitch, high scanlinesClean monochrome terminal

Effect Combinations

Different parameter settings for various terminal feels:

StyleGlitchFlickerScanlinesCurvatureDescription
Stable0.50.30.20.1Clean, functional terminal
Degraded1.51.20.40.2Aging, failing system
Corrupted2.02.00.60.3Heavily damaged display
Pristine0.20.10.10.05Modern, high-quality screen

Shader architecture

Procedural Generation: Uses fractal noise functions with multiple octaves and rotation matrices to create organic, non-repeating digit patterns that evolve naturally over time.

CRT Simulation: Implements authentic cathode ray tube effects including barrel distortion, scanline generation, and phosphor persistence modeling for realistic vintage display characteristics.

Glitch Algorithms: Combines displacement functions, chromatic aberration, and flicker algorithms with mathematical randomization for convincing electronic interference effects.

Mouse Integration: Transforms cursor coordinates into world space with ripple effects and exponential falloff functions for natural interaction with the terminal grid.

Performance considerations

WebGL Optimization: Uses efficient shader compilation with optimized uniform management and minimal GPU state changes for consistent 60fps performance.

Fragment Shader Efficiency: Implements mathematical optimizations including conditional branching elimination and loop optimization to reduce GPU computation overhead.

Memory Management: Properly handles WebGL context lifecycle, canvas management, and ResizeObserver cleanup to prevent memory leaks and performance degradation.

Responsive Scaling: Uses device pixel ratio awareness with efficient canvas resizing to maintain visual quality across different display densities.

Common gotchas

WebGL Context: Component requires WebGL-enabled browser. Gracefully handles context creation failures but won't render effects without WebGL support.

Color Format: Tint colors must be in hex format (#RRGGBB). RGB or HSL formats may cause shader compilation errors or unexpected visual results.

Performance Scaling: High scale values combined with large digitSize can impact performance. Monitor frame rates when increasing visual density parameters.

Container Sizing: Component fills its container completely. Ensure parent element has defined dimensions for proper terminal grid rendering and aspect ratios.

Animation Timing: Component uses high-frequency shader calculations. Consider pausing animations when component is not visible to preserve battery life.

Mouse Coordinates: Uses normalized screen coordinates for consistent interaction behavior across different container sizes and device pixel ratios.

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