rayhana

no laptop, who cares? termux: the phone-only dev & survival guide

An all-in-one experience of how I set up Termux, what I actually felt, the dumb mistakes and the small victories.

Intro
I’m Rehana (rayhana). I started coding on my phone because my laptop was missing and I was done with being a complaining lil pos. Termux is the tiny Linux that made me feel like an actual hacker without begging for root. Here’s the whole messy, useful story step-by-step, emotional commentary included :)

Why Termux (and why on phone)

Short answer: portability + instant tinkering. I wanted to code in queues, trains, while waiting for chai. It’s tiny, fast, and stubbornly refuses to be pretty, which I secretly love. Plus, when you compile C++ on a phone and it runs, you get a dumb and pleasant high. Highly recommend.

What I installed and why (quick list)

Step-by-step (copy this block and paste in Termux)

# install Termux (F-Droid) then:
pkg update && pkg upgrade -y
termux-setup-storage        # accept the Android permission pop-up
pkg install -y clang make git nano wget proot
# optional power user:
pkg install -y neovim nodejs python

If you plan on Kali Rootless later:

pkg install -y proot wget

My real setup experience: what I did and what I felt

The first run : I typed clang++ for the first time and got a tiny binary to run. Felt like a wizard. That moment...pure dopamine. I kept grinning for 10 minutes. :')

Storage permission drama : on Android 11+, termux-setup-storage can act weird. If ~/storage shows wrong files, toggle Termux permission in Android settings and re-run the command. I wasted one evening fixing this. Tip: always check ls ~/storage and ls /sdcard.

Play Store trap : I installed Termux from Play Store once and then things were flaky. Don’t do it. F-Droid release or official GitHub releases are the ones to trust.

Editor switch : nano is fine for 10 lines. For 2+ hour sessions, nvim is a soulmate. The first time I used nvim on phone, my fingers cursed then thanked me.

Networking & downloads : downloads are sometimes slow on mobile data. Use Wi-Fi for pkg upgrade and big installs. I once started a pkg upgrade on mobile data and regretted my life choices.

Keeping track : I store projects under ~/code/ and push to GitHub. Commit early, commit often. Termux git push works like a normal box.

What I liked about the resources I used (and what I didn’t)

Termux Wiki (liked)

What I liked: Official, accurate, has the real commands and storage notes.
What I disliked: Not the friendliest for total beginners. Sometimes assumes you already know Linux.

Dev.to guide on compiling C++ in Termux (liked)

What I liked: Short, practical examples (hello world → compile → run).
What I disliked: Slightly generic — good for starter but not for real projects.

NetHunter Docs / Etechbox for Rootless (liked)

What I liked: Clear capability matrix (what rootless can vs. cannot do). Rootless is safe and powerful.
What I disliked: Some installers online are sketch — you must read scripts before trusting them.

Mistakes I made (so you don’t)

Tips & tiny tricks I actually use

The emotional close

The phone workflow is not for everyone. It’s gritty, slightly claustrophobic, and requires humility when things fail. But it’s also freeing. Making a thing "no laptop, no excuses" gave me confidence. It made me realize dev skill isn’t the machine you own...it’s the stuff you can do on anything.

I’ll keep building and shoving small imperfect projects into my pocket. If you try this and break stuff, DM me. I prolly broke the same thing along with my head too xD

Resources (copy-ready)