managed-ssh

managed-ssh is a command line SSH manager for saving destinations once and reusing them with short aliases.

Instead of typing the same hosts, user@host targets, and private key paths every time, you can save them in mssh and use the aliases with ssh, scp, and remote commands.

What it helps with

• Save short names for hosts, such as devbox -> 10.10.10.5.
• Save full SSH targets, such as app -> ubuntu@10.10.10.9.
• Attach an SSH private key to an alias and let mssh use it automatically.
• Connect with mssh access <alias>.
• Run remote commands with mssh remote-run <alias> <command>.
• Copy files with mssh copy, including alias resolution on remote paths.
• Export and import aliases as JSON backups.

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or newer.
• ssh and scp available in your system PATH.

Installation

Install from PyPI:

pip install managed-ssh

After installing, the CLI command is:

mssh --help

Quick Start

Create a host alias:

mssh save-host devbox 10.10.10.5

Connect to it:

mssh access devbox

Use a different login user without creating another alias:

mssh access ubuntu@devbox

Create a target alias when the user is always the same:

mssh save-target app ubuntu@10.10.10.9
mssh access app

Run a command remotely:

mssh remote-run app uname -a

Copy a local file to a saved target:

mssh copy ./local.txt app:/tmp/local.txt

Alias Types

mssh supports two destination alias types:

Type	Example	Use it when
Host alias	devbox -> 10.10.10.5	You want to reuse the host with different users, such as root@devbox or ubuntu@devbox.
Target alias	app -> ubuntu@10.10.10.9	You usually connect with one fixed user and host.

You can also let mssh detect the alias type:

mssh save devbox 10.10.10.5
mssh save app ubuntu@10.10.10.9

SSH Keys

Generate a key in ~/.mssh/keys:

mssh keygen server-a

Generate a key with a passphrase:

mssh keygen server-a "my-passphrase"

Save an alias with a specific key:

mssh save-host devbox 10.10.10.5 --key ~/.ssh/devbox.pem
mssh save-target app ubuntu@10.10.10.9 --key ~/.ssh/app.pem

Set, replace, or remove a key for an existing alias:

mssh set-key app ~/.ssh/app.pem
mssh unset-key app

Override the saved key for a single SSH connection:

mssh access app --key ~/.ssh/temporary.pem

Override the saved key for a single copy:

mssh copy ./local.txt app:/tmp/local.txt --key ~/.ssh/temporary.pem

Copy Files

mssh copy wraps scp and resolves aliases on remote endpoints.

Copy from local to remote:

mssh copy ./local.txt app:/tmp/local.txt

Copy from remote to local:

mssh copy root@devbox:/tmp/file.txt ./file.txt

Copy between two remote destinations:

mssh copy app:/tmp/report.log root@devbox:/tmp/report.log

If both remote sides use aliases with keys, mssh passes the identity files to scp and uses scp -3 so the copy is negotiated from your local machine.

Run Remote Commands

Use remote-run to execute a command through SSH:

mssh remote-run devbox uname -a
mssh remote-run app ls -la /var/www

The destination can be an alias, user@alias, or user@host.

Manage Aliases

List saved aliases:

mssh list

Rename an alias:

mssh rename old-name new-name

Delete an alias:

mssh delete app

Use -y to skip confirmation prompts:

mssh rename old-name new-name -y
mssh delete app -y

Export and Import

Export your aliases to a JSON file:

mssh export --file backup-mssh.json

Import and merge while keeping existing aliases:

mssh import --file backup-mssh.json --skip-existing -y

Import and merge while overwriting conflicts:

mssh import --file backup-mssh.json --overwrite -y

Replace all local aliases with the imported file:

mssh import --file backup-mssh.json --replace -y

Command Reference

Command	Description
mssh access <destination>	Open an SSH session to an alias, user@alias, or user@host.
mssh remote-run <destination> <cmd1> <cmd2> ...	Run a remote command through SSH.
mssh copy <source> <target>	Copy files with scp and resolve aliases on remote paths.
mssh keygen <key_name> [passphrase]	Generate an SSH key under ~/.mssh/keys.
mssh save-host <alias> <host> [--key <path>]	Save a host alias.
mssh save-target <alias> <user@host> [--key <path>]	Save a target alias.
mssh save <alias> <value> [--key <path>]	Save an alias and detect whether the value is a host or target.
mssh list	Show saved hosts, targets, and associated keys.
mssh rename <old_alias> <new_alias> [-y]	Rename an alias.
mssh delete <alias> [-y]	Delete an alias.
mssh set-key <alias> <path>	Set or replace the SSH key for an alias.
mssh unset-key <alias>	Remove the SSH key associated with an alias.
mssh export [--file <path>]	Export aliases to JSON.
`mssh import --file	--overwrite

Where Data Is Stored

Aliases are stored locally in:

~/.mssh/aliases.json

Generated keys are stored under:

~/.mssh/keys

The aliases file uses this structure:

{
  "hosts": {
    "devbox": "10.10.10.5"
  },
  "targets": {
    "app": "ubuntu@10.10.10.9"
  },
  "keys": {
    "app": "/home/user/.ssh/app.pem"
  }
}

Notes

• A name cannot exist as both a host alias and a target alias.
• If an alias already exists, save asks for confirmation before overwriting it.
• Keys are used automatically when the destination or copy endpoint uses an alias.
• --key overrides saved alias keys for a single command.
• managed-ssh does not replace OpenSSH configuration; it is a small alias manager that calls your system ssh and scp commands.

License

MIT