SSH or Secure Shell is a cryptographic network protocol for operating network services securely over an unsecured network. Typical applications include remote command-line, login, and remote command execution, but any network service can be secured with SSH.
SSH was designed as a replacement for Telnet and for unsecured remote shell protocols such as the Berkeley rsh and the related rlogin and rexec protocols. Those protocols send information, notably passwords, in plaintext, rendering them susceptible to interception and disclosure using packet analysis. The encryption used by SSH is intended to provide confidentiality and integrity of data over an unsecured network, such as the Internet.
This article focuses on GUIs that help you manage and create SSH connections.
Here’s our verdict captured in a legendary LinuxLinks-style ratings chart. Only free and open source software is eligible for inclusion here.
Let’s explore the graphical frontends at hand. For each title we have compiled its own portal page, a full description with an in-depth analysis of its features, an image of the software in action, together with links to relevant resources.
| Graphical SSH Frontends | |
|---|---|
| XPipe | Shell connection hub and remote file manager |
| Termora | Cross-platform terminal emulator and SSH client |
| Termix | Self-hosted all-in-one server management platform |
| Nexterm | Self-hosted platform for managing remote servers |
| Tabby | Modern terminal emulator with SSH and serial support |
| electerm | Terminal, SSH, SFTP and file transfer client |
| RustConn | Connection orchestrator with a GTK4/Wayland-native interface |
| Ásbrú Connection Manager | Full-featured connection manager written in Perl |
| sshPilot | Lightweight SSH connection manager |
| PuTTY | SSH and telnet client with sessions |
| EasySSH | Connection manager written in Vala |
| Kerminal | Modern terminal emulator and SSH manager |
| OpenSSH GUI | Frontend for managing your SSH Keys |
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