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Neovim: Plugins to get started

2022-09-03 | 18 min read | Leer en español
Last updated: 2023-02-15

So you want to customize Neovim but you don't know where to start? Let me help you with that. I'll show you some plugins many people in the Neovim community have been using for a while now.

All the configuration shown in this post will be in this repository: nvim-starter - branch: 02-opinionated.

Requirements

If you're completely new to Neovim I recommend you learn lua's syntax. If you don't want to learn everything at least have a reference to know what is valid. All the plugins I'll share here are configured using lua.

If you haven't created a configuration for Neovim, do it now. Here is a guide with everything you need to know: Build your first Neovim configuration in lua.

You'll need Neovim's latest stable version. You can download it from the release section of github. From now on I'll assume you are using Neovim v0.8 or greater.

How do we install plugins?

First thing you should know is how to install a plugin manually. Turns out we only need to download them in a specific folder and Neovim will take care of the rest. We can list all the available directories using this command.

:set packpath?

That will show a comma separated list, which I find difficult to read. We can get something better using a little bit of lua.

:lua vim.tbl_map(print, vim.opt.packpath:get())

This one will show the same list but now every path will be in its own line.

In one of those directories we have to create a folder called pack and inside pack we must create a "package". A package is a folder that contains several plugins. It must have this structure.

package-folder
├── opt
│   ├── [plugin 1]
│   └── [plugin 2]
└── start
    ├── [plugin 3]
    └── [plugin 4]

In this example we are creating a folder with two other folders inside: opt and start. Plugins in opt will only be loaded if we execute the command packadd. The plugins in start will be loaded automatically during the startup process.

So let's assume we have this path in our packpath.

/home/dev/.local/share/nvim/site

We want to install plugins there, what do we do? Create a pack folder. Then create a folder with any name you want. Let's name the package github because why not? So the full path for our plugins will be this.

/home/dev/.local/share/nvim/site/pack/github

So to install a plugin like lualine and have it load automatically, we should place it here.

/home/dev/.local/share/nvim/site/pack/github/start/lualine.nvim

That's it. Well... you need to configure the plugin but that's another story.

To know more about packages in Neovim read the help page.

:help packages

Plugin manager

But of course we don't have to download plugins manually, we can use a plugin manager that handles everything for us.

At the moment these are the most popular plugin managers in the Neovim ecosystem.

If you prefer minimalism take a look at paq. If you want something full of features use packer or lazy.nvim.

Remember to read carefully the instructions of the plugin manager you choose.

Plugins

Tokyonight

Github: folke/tokyonight.nvim

Because of course the first thing you have to do is change the default theme. We can achieve this by using the command colorscheme followed by the name of the theme.

In lua we can call vim commands using vim.cmd. So to apply the theme we have to do this.

vim.cmd('colorscheme name-of-theme')

Here's how we apply tokyonight.

colorscheme tokyonight

onedark.vim

Github: joshdick/onedark.vim

Port of Atom's default theme.

colorscheme onedark

darkplus.nvim

Github: lunarvim/darkplus.nvim

Port of VSCode's default theme.

colorscheme darkplus

monokai.nvim

Github: tanvirtin/monokai.nvim

Port of Sublime Text's default theme.

colorscheme monokai

nvim-web-devicons

Github: kyazdani42/nvim-web-devicons

Collection of functions to display icons. We usually don't interact with this plugin directly, is mostly used by other plugins, to allow them to show icons.

By itself nvim-web-devicons is not enough, you need to install a font that supports icons. You can find a good collection in nerdfonts.com.

Lualine

Github: nvim-lualine/lualine.nvim

Lualine can give us a good looking statusline. If you don't know, the statusline is the thing at the bottom showing the filename and the position of the cursor. Lualine can make it pretty and also adds extra information.

To start using lualine we have to call the setup function of the lualine module.

require('lualine').setup({})

And how do we customize it? In the documentation they show the default configuration.

:help lualine-Default-configuration

All we have to do is add the properties we care about in the argument of .setup().

vim.opt.showmode = false

require('lualine').setup({
  options = {
    theme = 'onedark',
    icons_enabled = true,
    component_separators = '|',
    section_separators = '',
    disabled_filetypes = {
      statusline = {'NvimTree'}
    }
  },
})

The first thing I do in this example is disable showmode because lualine already shows the current mode.

Here is what we got in .setup().

Bufferline

Github: akinsho/bufferline.nvim

You know how other editors show a tab for each open file? Okay, that's not how it works in Neovim. For starters we call them tabpages, they are like workspaces, inside them you can open multiple windows. You can even have different working directories per tabpage. But some people prefer the "traditional" behavior and this is what bufferline does, it modifies the tabline so it can show the currently opened files.

To start using this plugin we need to call the .setup() function of the bufferline module.

require('bufferline').setup({})

You can find a reference to the available options in the help page.

:help bufferline-configuration

Here's an example configuration.

require('bufferline').setup({
  options = {
    mode = 'buffers',
    offsets = {
      {filetype = 'NvimTree'}
    },
  }
  highlights = {
    buffer_selected = {
      italic = false
    },
    indicator_selected = {
      fg = {attribute = 'fg', highlight = 'Function'},
      italic = false
    }
  }
})

indent-blankline.nvim

Github: lukas-reineke/indent-blankline.nvim Version: 3.x

Adds indent guides in the current file.

To configure it use the .setup() function of the ibl module.

require('ibl').setup({
  indent = {
    char = '▏',
  },
})

And here the options I find interesting.

require('ibl').setup({
  enabled = true,
  scope = {
    enabled = false,
  },
  indent = {
    char = '▏',
  },
})

Treesitter

Github: nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter

So treesitter is a library that was added to Neovim, with it Neovim can read your code in the same way a compiler does, it scans the code and creates an abstract syntax tree. In other words, it turns your code into a data structure Neovim can query.

By itself treesitter doesn't do anything useful, its the plugins that use treesitter the ones that add features to Neovim. Enter nvim-treesitter, it has modules that enhance Neovim's default features. For example highlight, the most popular module, can make the syntax highlight a lot more accurate than the default.

You can find details about nvim-treesitter modules in the help page.

:help nvim-treesitter-modules

To enable a module we must call the .setup() function in nvim-treesitter.configs. Then we specify the configuration for each module in a lua table.

require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
  highlight = {
    enable = true,
  },
})

All modules in nvim-treesitter are disabled by default, so at the very least we must add enable = true to use it.

Now, for treesitter to actually work we need a language parser. The parser is the thing that reads the code. To install a parser we use the command TSInstall followed by the name of the language.

So to install a javascript parser we use this command.

:TSInstall javascript

We can also tell nvim-treesitter what parsers we always want installed. For this we use the ensure_installed property in the .setup() function.

require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
  highlight = {
    enable = true,
  },
  ensure_installed = {
    'javascript',
    'typescript',
    'tsx',
    'css',
    'json',
    'lua',
  },
})

nvim-treesitter-textobjects

Github: nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter-textobjects

Text objects in Neovim are patterns of text, things like words, paragraphs, xml tags, etc. nvim-treesitter-textobjects adds more text objects based on treesitter queries. Functions, classes, conditional statements and loops can be available as text objects if we enable them with nvim-treesitter-textobjects.

Recap time: Text objects are used in "operator pending" mode. When you use an operator like d (the keyboard shorcut for delete) you enter operator pending mode. In this mode Neovim will wait for you to provide a text object or a motion. So when you press something like diw, that d is an operator and iw is the text object. You can learn more about motions and text objects if you read the help page.

:help motion.txt

Let's go back to that treesitter thing.

nvim-treesitter-textobjects has its own submodules.

:help nvim-treesitter-textobjects-modules

To configure a module we use the same .setup() function in nvim-treesitter.configs.

require('nvim-treesitter.configs').setup({
  highlight = {
    enable = true,
  },
  textobjects = {
    select = {
      enable = true,
      lookahead = true,
      keymaps = {
        ['af'] = '@function.outer',
        ['if'] = '@function.inner',
        ['ac'] = '@class.outer',
        ['ic'] = '@class.inner',
      }
    },
  },
  ensure_installed = {
    --- parsers....
  },
})

Here we configure the select module in textobjects, with it we can add the new text objects. Now inside select we have the following options:

targets.vim

Github: wellle/targets.vim

This plugin creates new text objects. It adds things like tags, pairs, function arguments, etc. I recommend you read the official documentation, you'll find detailed information (with examples) of every new text object: targets.vim - Overview.

You can configure some things but its not necessary, you can start using it without adding anything in your Neovim configuration. But if you wish, you can find the available options in the help page.

:help targets-settings

Comment.nvim

Github: numToStr/Comment.nvim

Adds a new operator to toggle comments in code. By default the operator is bound to the keyboard shorcut gc. This means we are allowed to use any combination Neovim can do in operator pending mode. We can comment a word using gciw, comment a paragraph with gcap, comment an arbitrary number of lines with gc + number + j. Really the only limitation will be your knowledge of Neovim, like how many motions or text objects you know.

gc will also work in visual mode. In visual mode it'll comment the lines selected.

In normal mode use gcc to comment individual lines.

The only thing you need to do to make it work is call the .setup() function of the Comment module.

require('Comment').setup({})

To know what options are available read the documentation on github: Comment.nvim - Setup.

vim-surround

Github: tpope/vim-surround

This plugin is all about manipulation of surrounding patterns. We can add, delete and change surroundings for a piece of text.

Let me explain.

If we have 'Hello, world' we can delete the quotes using ds'. So ds is the keybinding to delete and ' is the "surrounding pattern" we want to delete.

If we want to add a surrounding we use ys. Say we have the word Hello, if we want to wrap it in paranthesis we use ysiw). ys is the keybinding to add a surrounding, iw is the text object for a word and ) is the pattern we want to add. The result will be (Hello).

If we are in visual mode we can use S + a pattern to surround the selected text.

To change a surrounding we use cs. Say we have 'Hello, world', if we want to change single quotes for double quotes we use cs'". cs is the keybinding to change a surrounding, ' is the thing we want to change and " is the new surrounding.

nvim-tree

Github: kyazdani42/nvim-tree.lua

File manager plugin. It shows all files in a tree style view, like most other editors do. It has all the usual features: create, delete and rename files.

To start using this plugin we need to call the .setup() function of the nvim-tree module.

require('nvim-tree').setup({})

All the keybindings available inside the file explorer are listed in the help page.

:help nvim-tree-default-mappings

You can also find a reference to the available options.

:help nvim-tree-setup

Here is an example configuration.

require('nvim-tree').setup({
  hijack_cursor = false,
  on_attach = function(bufnr)
    local bufmap = function(lhs, rhs, desc)
      vim.keymap.set('n', lhs, rhs, {buffer = bufnr, desc = desc})
    end

    -- See :help nvim-tree.api
    local api = require('nvim-tree.api')
   
    bufmap('L', api.node.open.edit, 'Expand folder or go to file')
    bufmap('H', api.node.navigate.parent_close, 'Close parent folder')
    bufmap('gh', api.tree.toggle_hidden_filter, 'Toggle hidden files')
  end
})

vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>e', '<cmd>NvimTreeToggle<cr>')

Here I'm using <leader>e to toggle the file manager. Then in .setup() we have the actual configuration.

Telescope

Github: nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim

Telescope's purpose is to provide an interface to filter a list of items. What can we do with this? We can search recently opened files, currently opened files, git commits, command history, keybindings, colorschemes... and 45 other things. Yes, in its current state telescope has 51 commands. Want to know how I know? You can search for a telescope command using telescope.

:Telescope builtin

We can use telescope's commands without any sort of configuration, really. Defaults are actually pretty good. But if you like to know what options are available you can read the help page.

:help telescope.setup()

Now the only thing we need to do is create keybindings for the commands we will like to use frequently.

vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader><space>', '<cmd>Telescope buffers<cr>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>?', '<cmd>Telescope oldfiles<cr>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>ff', '<cmd>Telescope find_files<cr>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>fg', '<cmd>Telescope live_grep<cr>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>fd', '<cmd>Telescope diagnostics<cr>')
vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>fs', '<cmd>Telescope current_buffer_fuzzy_find<cr>')

Is worth mention telescope can improve its performance (in some cases) if we install external tools like fd and ripgrep.

telescope-fzf-native

Github: nvim-telescope/telescope-fzf-native.nvim

This is an extension for telescope. It allows telescope to use the same search algorithm fzf uses. This means we can use the same syntax in our search queries. And also improves the performance of the search.

This plugin is written in C so you will need to compile it before using it. Make sure you have available a C compiler and make (the build tool).

To use this extension in telescope we need to call the .load_extension() function in telescope.

require('telescope').load_extension('fzf')

Toggleterm

Github: akinsho/toggleterm.nvim

The good news is Neovim has an "integrated terminal" and we really don't need any plugin to use it. The bad news is not like a "UI component" we can toggle easily, is more like a special type of buffer. Toggleterm manages windows with terminal buffers, allowing us to toggle them with one keybinding.

Toggleterm has a whole bunch of features I recommend you read the documentation on github: Toggleterm - roadmap.

To start using this plugin we need to call the .setup() function of toggleterm. Here is an example with the options I find interesting.

require('toggleterm').setup({
  open_mapping = '<C-g>',
  direction = 'horizontal',
  shade_terminals = true
})

vim-fugitive

Github: tpope/vim-fugitive

Provides a graphical interface to manage a git repository inside Neovim. It also wraps the git cli so you can invoke any command from inside Neovim.

You can read the help page if you want to know all the details.

:help fugitive.txt

Gitsigns

Github: lewis6991/gitsigns.nvim

Gitsigns is a plugin you can use to show "signs" in any line that has been changed somehow. It will let us know which lines have been added, where we deleted a line and which ones have been modified. It has a lot more functions, too many to list here. Check the help page if want to learn more.

:help gitsigns-functions

You can find a description of every available option in the help page.

:help gitsigns-config

If you just want to customize the signs text here's how you do it.

require('gitsigns').setup({
  signs = {
    add = {text = '▎'},
    change = {text = '▎'},
    delete = {text = '➤'},
    topdelete = {text = '➤'},
    changedelete = {text = '▎'},
  }
})

Plenary

Github: nvim-lua/plenary.nvim

Plenary is collection of lua modules. It has bunch of utility functions other plugin authors use to solve common problems.

Telescope uses this plugin internaly, so make sure you install this.

vim-repeat

Github: tpope/vim-repeat

Adds "dot repeat" support for other plugins. If you don't know, when we press the dot key (.) Neovim tries to repeat the last action we did. For example, if we delete a word using diw we can repeat that just by pressing .. With vim-repeat we can repeat actions made by plugins.

Editorconfig

Github: editorconfig/editorconfig-vim

There is a popular configuration file known as EditorConfig, it concerns itself with style options like indentation, file encoding, line ends, that sort of things. Several editors have support for this file and with this plugin Neovim can be one of them.

vim-bbye

Github: moll/vim-bbye

Provides commands so we can close a buffer without messing with our layout. Say you have two windows opened, if you close a file with the builtin command bdelete you'll close the buffer and the window. With vim-bbye we can use the command Bdelete to delete a buffer and leave the window open.

All you need to do is make a keybinding to close a buffer with Bdelete.

vim.keymap.set('n', '<leader>bc', '<cmd>Bdelete<CR>')

What's next?

Next step is to make Neovim really understand our code: have it autocomplete variables, setup jump to definition, rename variables, all that good stuff. To achieve this I recommend using the builtin LSP client, configure it using nvim-lspconfig and then setup autocomplete with nvim-cmp. But doing that is not exactly easy, I made another guide specifically for this:

Where can we find more plugins?

Here are a few resources you can check, where you can find cool things about Neovim.

Conclusion

What did we do today? We looked at several colorschemes for Neovim. We learned about plugins we can use to bring features of other editors to Neovim. Like with bufferline we can have a tab per open file. Nvim-tree provides a tree-style file manager. We can use gitsigns and fugitive to integrate with git. We can search for all kinds of things with telescope. We can manipulate text in cool ways with plugins like nvim-treesitter and vim-surround. With all of this we can have a really good experience with Neovim.

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