# finger

9 Hacker News commenters recommended finger and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Old Unix command for looking up logged-in users; people like its simple single-file setup and nostalgia. Critics note it can't run behind a CDN.

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [fzf](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fzf.md): 78 recommend
- [jq](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jq.md): 75 recommend
- [grep](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grep.md): 65 recommend
- [Atuin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atuin.md): 63 recommend
- [GitHub CLI](https://hackerapproved.com/p/github-cli.md): 49 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "finger", https://hackerapproved.com/p/finger/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).