ssh-easy

A simple CLI to manage and quickly connect to your SSH servers. Save once, connect by alias.

Built with Bun — zero runtime dependencies.

Install

# clone and link globally
git clone https://github.com/muneebhashone/ssh-easy.git
cd ssh-easy
bun install
bun link

Requires Bun runtime.

Usage

# Add a server (interactive)
ssh-easy add

# Add a server (non-interactive)
ssh-easy add prod --host 10.0.1.50 --user deploy --key ~/.ssh/id_rsa
ssh-easy add dev --host 192.168.1.100 --user root --password s3cret --port 2222

# Connect — just use the alias
ssh-easy prod

# List all saved connections
ssh-easy list

# Edit a connection
ssh-easy edit prod

# Remove a connection
ssh-easy rm dev

# Export all connections (keys + passwords bundled)
ssh-easy export

# Export specific connections to a custom file
ssh-easy export backup.json --aliases prod,dev

# Import on another machine — works out of the box
ssh-easy import backup.json

# Import and overwrite existing connections
ssh-easy import backup.json --overwrite

# Check & install system dependencies
ssh-easy setup

Commands

Command	Description
ssh-easy <alias>	Connect to a saved server
ssh-easy add [alias] [flags]	Add a new connection
ssh-easy list / ls	List all saved connections
ssh-easy edit <alias>	Edit a saved connection
ssh-easy remove / rm <alias>	Remove a connection
ssh-easy export [file]	Export connections to a portable file
ssh-easy import <file>	Import connections from an export file
ssh-easy setup	Check & install system dependencies
ssh-easy help	Show help

Flags

Flag	Description
--host <ip|hostname>	Server host
--user <username>	SSH username
--port <number>	Port (default: 22)
--key <path>	Path to SSH private key
--password [password]	Use password auth (optionally store password)
--yes, -y	Skip confirmation prompts
--aliases <a,b,c>	Export only specific connections
--overwrite	Overwrite existing connections on import

Authentication

Key-based auth — provide a path to your SSH private key. The CLI validates the key file exists on add.

Password auth — passwords are stored base64-encoded in ~/.ssh-easy/connections.json. On connect, the CLI uses a 3-tier strategy:

1. SSH_ASKPASS (primary) — creates a temporary script that feeds the password to SSH automatically. Built into OpenSSH 8.4+ on all platforms. No extra tools needed.
2. sshpass (fallback) — used on Linux/macOS if SSH_ASKPASS fails. Install via ssh-easy setup.
3. Manual entry (last resort) — displays the stored password for you to copy-paste when SSH prompts.

Cross-Platform Support

Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Feature	Windows	macOS	Linux
Key-based SSH	✓	✓	✓
Password auto-auth (SSH_ASKPASS)	✓	✓	✓
sshpass fallback	—	✓	✓
ssh-easy setup	winget/choco/scoop	brew	apt/dnf/yum/pacman

Import / Export

Move connections between machines with a single file. Export bundles everything — connection config, SSH private keys, and passwords — into one portable JSON file.

# On machine A
ssh-easy export backup.json

# Copy backup.json to machine B, then:
ssh-easy import backup.json

On import, SSH keys are placed at ~/.ssh/ssh-easy-<alias> with correct permissions (600). Connections work immediately — no extra steps.

Warning: The export file contains sensitive data (private keys, passwords). Store it securely and delete after transfer.

Config

Connections are stored at ~/.ssh-easy/connections.json.

{
  "connections": [
    {
      "alias": "prod",
      "host": "10.0.1.50",
      "username": "deploy",
      "port": 22,
      "keyPath": "/home/user/.ssh/id_rsa",
      "authMethod": "key"
    }
  ]
}

License

MIT