# Notes from building a browser.

> Notes from building Monok, a small Mac browser with a terminal and files: guides, the terminal, files, design, blocking and engine notes.

Canonical: https://monok.io/blog.md

Blog

Guides for browsing on a Mac, how the engine is built in Rust, the design behind the quiet interface, and what the modern web needs from it.

[Files](https://monok.io/blog/category/files) Oct 28, 2026 · 4 min

## [How to Show Hidden Files on Mac: Finder and Terminal](https://monok.io/blog/show-hidden-files-mac)

How to show hidden files on a Mac: the Finder shortcut Cmd+Shift+Period, the Terminal command that keeps them visible, and how to reach the Library folder.

[Web Platform](https://monok.io/blog/category/web-platform) Oct 27, 2026 · 3 min

## [The Web APIs React and Angular Apps Need From a Browser](https://monok.io/blog/web-apis-react-angular-need)

Which Web APIs React and Angular apps need from a browser: the DOM, events, microtasks, timers, fetch, history and observers, the bar a new engine must clear.

[Terminal](https://monok.io/blog/category/terminal) Oct 27, 2026 · 5 min

## [tmux Cheat Sheet: Sessions, Windows and Split Panes](https://monok.io/blog/tmux-cheat-sheet)

A tmux cheat sheet with the default keys for sessions, windows, split panes, copy mode and config, plus how the same pane habits work in Monok on a Mac.

[Guides](https://monok.io/blog/category/guides) Oct 27, 2026 · 4 min

## [Safari Ad Blocker: How Content Blockers Work on a Mac](https://monok.io/blog/safari-ad-blocker)

How a Safari ad blocker works on a Mac: content blockers from the App Store, the privacy settings to turn on, and a WebKit browser with blocking built in.

[Guides](https://monok.io/blog/category/guides) Oct 26, 2026 · 4 min

## [Keyboard Shortcuts for Browsing on a Mac](https://monok.io/blog/keyboard-shortcuts-mac-browser)

The keyboard shortcuts for browsing on a Mac that work in Safari, Chrome and Firefox: tabs, history, find, zoom and scrolling, plus how to build the habit.

[Engine](https://monok.io/blog/category/engine) Oct 25, 2026 · 4 min

## [Why a Lightweight Browser Blocks Ads at the Network Layer](https://monok.io/blog/network-level-ad-blocking-lightweight-browser)

Why a lightweight browser blocks ads and trackers before requests are made: scripts never run, pages get lighter. How the built-in blocking in Monok works.

[Engine](https://monok.io/blog/category/engine) Oct 24, 2026 · 3 min

## [Building a Browser Engine in Rust: Where It Stands](https://monok.io/blog/building-a-browser-engine-in-rust)

How Monok is built in Rust: an engine trait with WebKit behind it for v1, native chrome drawn with vello_cpu, and the paused plan for its own engine.

[Engine](https://monok.io/blog/category/engine) Oct 23, 2026 · 3 min

## [Browser Engine Without Chromium: Why v1 Runs on WebKit](https://monok.io/blog/browser-engine-without-chromium-or-webkit)

Monok doesn't use Chromium. Version 1 renders pages with the Mac's WebKit behind an engine boundary, and its own Rust engine is a paused, long-term project.

[Design](https://monok.io/blog/category/design) Oct 22, 2026 · 4 min

## [A Minimalist Browser With No Address Bar](https://monok.io/blog/minimalist-browser-no-address-bar)

Why a minimalist browser can drop the address bar: how the Magic Bar on Cmd+L replaces it, what you lose, what you gain, and how tabs and panes fit in.

[Guides](https://monok.io/blog/category/guides) Oct 21, 2026 · 5 min

## [Lightweight Browser for Mac: How to Use Less RAM](https://monok.io/blog/lightweight-browser-for-mac)

How to pick a lightweight browser for Mac that uses less RAM: what really drives memory use, how to measure it in Activity Monitor, and settings that help.

[Design](https://monok.io/blog/category/design) Oct 20, 2026 · 3 min

## [A Browser With a Built-in Terminal for Web Developers](https://monok.io/blog/browser-with-built-in-terminal)

Why a browser with a built-in terminal helps web developers: your own shell in a pane next to the page, links from its output that open in tabs, and safety.