Zsh is a widely-used UNIX-based shell that extends the functionality of the Bourne Shell (sh), offering newer features and more support for plugins and themes. It became the default login and interactive shell in Mac machines starting with MacOS Catalina in 2019, and can be installed using Homebrew. Zsh offers various tips and tricks to optimize development, such as the take command to create new directories and change into them, automatic cd, mass rename files, calculator functionality, and plug-ins like oh-my-zsh that provide features like auto-complete, sudo, and web-search. Additionally, zsh provides shortcuts like key combo controls and allows editing of commands after typing, making it a powerful tool for developers.