Spacemacs¶

Written: 2026-08-23

Overview¶

Spacemacs — an Emacs distribution combining the best of Emacs and Vim. Mnemonic key bindings organized by SPC leader key, with a curated layer system.

Aspect	Detail
Base	GNU Emacs
Editing style	Vim (evil-mode) or Emacs
Config	`~/.spacemacs` or `~/.spacemacs.d/init.el`
Package system	Layers (curated bundles of packages)
Leader key	`SPC` (Vim mode) or `M-m` (Emacs mode)

Installation¶

# Backup existing Emacs config
mv ~/.emacs.d ~/.emacs.d.bak

# Clone Spacemacs
git clone https://github.com/syl20bnr/spacemacs ~/.emacs.d

# Launch Emacs — Spacemacs wizard runs on first start
emacs

Key Bindings (SPC Leader)¶

Most Used¶

Key	Action
`SPC f f`	Find file
`SPC f s`	Save file
`SPC f r`	Recent files
`SPC b b`	Switch buffer
`SPC b d`	Kill buffer
`SPC w /`	Split window vertically
`SPC w -`	Split window horizontally
`SPC w d`	Delete window
`SPC p f`	Find file in project
`SPC p p`	Switch project
`SPC /`	Search in project (grep)
`SPC s s`	Swiper (search in buffer)

Code¶

Key	Action
`SPC m g g`	Go to definition
`SPC m g r`	Find references
`SPC m r r`	Rename symbol
`SPC m =`	Format buffer
`SPC e l`	List errors
`SPC e n / p`	Next / previous error

Git (Magit)¶

Key	Action
`SPC g s`	Magit status
`SPC g b`	Git blame
`SPC g l`	Git log
`SPC g d`	Diff

Help¶

Key	Action
`SPC h d f`	Describe function
`SPC h d k`	Describe key
`SPC h d v`	Describe variable
`SPC ?`	Show all keybindings

Layers¶

Layers are the core organizational unit — each bundles related packages and configuration.

Enabling Layers¶

;; In ~/.spacemacs → dotspacemacs-configuration-layers
dotspacemacs-configuration-layers
'(
  ;; Completion
  (auto-completion :variables
                   auto-completion-enable-snippets-in-popup t)
  helm  ;; or ivy

  ;; Programming
  python
  (rust :variables rust-backend 'lsp)
  (typescript :variables typescript-backend 'lsp)
  javascript
  emacs-lisp

  ;; Tools
  git
  (org :variables org-enable-github-support t)
  markdown
  yaml
  (shell :variables shell-default-shell 'vterm)
  treemacs
  lsp

  ;; Themes
  themes-megapack
)

Popular Layers¶

Layer	Provides
`auto-completion`	Company, snippets
`lsp`	Language Server Protocol support
`git`	Magit, git-gutter
`org`	Org-mode with extras
`python`	Python IDE features
`rust`	Rust development
`typescript`	TypeScript/JavaScript
`docker`	Dockerfile mode, docker commands
`markdown`	Preview, editing
`treemacs`	File tree sidebar
`shell`	Terminal integration

Configuration Sections¶

The .spacemacs file has clear sections:

;; dotspacemacs/init — Spacemacs core settings
(defun dotspacemacs/init ()
  (setq-default
   dotspacemacs-editing-style 'vim          ;; 'vim, 'emacs, or 'hybrid
   dotspacemacs-themes '(doom-one gruvbox-dark-hard)
   dotspacemacs-default-font '("JetBrains Mono" :size 14)
   dotspacemacs-line-numbers '(:relative t)
   dotspacemacs-maximized-at-startup t))

;; dotspacemacs/user-init — Runs before packages load
(defun dotspacemacs/user-init ()
  (setq custom-file "~/.spacemacs.d/custom.el"))

;; dotspacemacs/user-config — Runs after packages load (your customizations)
(defun dotspacemacs/user-config ()
  ;; Your personal keybindings and settings
  (setq scroll-margin 5)
  (global-visual-line-mode t)

  ;; Custom leader bindings
  (spacemacs/set-leader-keys
    "o t" 'vterm
    "o f" 'treemacs))

Tips¶

Tip	How
Discover keys	Press `SPC` and wait — which-key shows options
Reload config	`SPC f e R`
Install new layer	Add to layers list → `SPC f e R`
Search commands	`SPC SPC` (M-x equivalent)
Toggle line numbers	`SPC t n`
Toggle fullscreen	`SPC T F`
Open terminal	`SPC '`
Universal argument	`SPC u`

Spacemacs vs Doom Emacs¶

Aspect	Spacemacs	Doom Emacs
Config approach	Layers (GUI-friendly)	Modules (code-first)
Startup time	Slower (2-5s)	Faster (< 1s)
Discoverability	Excellent (which-key everywhere)	Good
Customization	`.spacemacs` file	`config.el` + `packages.el`
Stability	Stable (develop branch can break)	Very stable
Learning curve	Lower (wizard, docs)	Moderate (need Elisp comfort)
Community	Larger, older	Growing, active