NetBox SSH Browser

NetBox SSH Browser is a terminal application for browsing NetBox devices and opening SSH sessions. It groups devices by location and role, with search by name or IP address. Connections use the system OpenSSH client, directly or through a configured jump host. On macOS, iTerm2 can open selected devices in separate tabs.

Inventory is synchronized manually and cached locally for use when NetBox is unavailable. Hosts missing from NetBox can be added to a separate manual inventory. The application reads NetBox data without modifying it and does not store SSH credentials.

Contents

• Recent Changes
• What It Does
• Safety Model
• Requirements
• Installation
• Configuration
• First Run
• Navigation
• Manual Inventory
• Inventory Rules
• Local Cache
• Development
• Compatibility
• Acknowledgements

Recent Changes

• Sites without regions and configurable auto, regions, or sites tree layouts.
• Configurable SSH address priority, including OOB IP and optional device name.
• Safer API pagination and SSH target handling, including jump hosts.
• SSH jump host with saved per-device selection (J). The target SSH client runs on the jump host and supports password prompts without TCP forwarding.
• Device type and name filters using glob patterns, such as MX* and TEST-*.
• Navigation restores the selected entry when returning from a site or branch.

See CHANGELOG.md for release details.

What It Does

• Reads regions, sites, and devices from the NetBox REST API.
• Builds a navigable location tree from NetBox region and site relationships.
• Groups countries under parent regions, branches under cities, and devices under Device Roles.
• Searches all cached devices by name or primary IP address.
• Selects primary IPv4, primary IPv6, OOB IP, or the device name in a configurable order; devices without any enabled address source are omitted.
• Uses the current shell user and the existing OpenSSH configuration.
• Supports a configurable SSH jump host with persistent per-device selection.
• Keeps the last successful inventory available when NetBox is offline.

Safety Model

• Synchronization is manual and runs only after pressing S.
• The application performs read-only GET requests to NetBox.
• NetBox remains responsible for authentication and object permissions.
• The API token is read from the private user configuration or, when set, from NETBOX_API_TOKEN. It is never written to cache or logs.
• The NetBox token and URL are removed from the child SSH process environment.
• SSH is started as an argument list without shell=True.
• Host keys, SSH Agent, keys, and connection options remain managed by the system OpenSSH client and ~/.ssh/config.
• A failed or interrupted sync never overwrites the previous valid cache.
• The cache directory is mode 0700 and the cache file is mode 0600.
• The application does not require sudo or write to system directories.

Requirements

• Python 3.11 or newer.
• A NetBox REST API token with view permissions for DCIM regions, sites, and devices.
• The system ssh command.
• A terminal with standard TUI support, such as iTerm2, Terminal.app, or a Linux terminal emulator.

NetBox API v1 and v2 tokens are supported. Tokens beginning with nbt_ use Bearer authentication; legacy tokens use Token authentication.

Installation

Install with pipx to keep dependencies isolated and add nssh to PATH.

macOS

brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath
pipx install netbox-ssh-browser

Open a new terminal after pipx ensurepath.

Linux

On Ubuntu 23.04 or newer:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install pipx
pipx ensurepath
pipx install netbox-ssh-browser

On Fedora, replace the first two commands with sudo dnf install pipx. Open a new terminal after updating PATH.

Windows

Install Python 3.13 from WinGet in PowerShell:

winget install --exact --id Python.Python.3.13

Close all PowerShell windows and reopen PowerShell to refresh PATH. Check Python and install pipx:

py --version
py -m pip install --user pipx
py -m pipx ensurepath

Reopen PowerShell again to pick up the pipx paths, then install the package:

pipx --version
pipx install netbox-ssh-browser
nssh --version

nssh --version prints the installed package version. If you use Scoop, you can install pipx with scoop install pipx instead.

Verify, upgrade, and uninstall

nssh --version
pipx upgrade netbox-ssh-browser
pipx uninstall netbox-ssh-browser

pipx normally places the command link in ~/.local/bin on macOS and Linux, and %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin on Windows. The isolated application code is stored under the platform-specific PIPX_HOME:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/pipx/venvs/netbox-ssh-browser
• Linux: ~/.local/share/pipx/venvs/netbox-ssh-browser
• Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\pipx\venvs\netbox-ssh-browser

Check the paths used by your installation:

pipx environment --value PIPX_HOME
pipx environment --value PIPX_BIN_DIR

Local development

Create an isolated editable installation:

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
python -m pip install -e .

To run the development version without activating the environment, add a symlink:

ln -s \
  "/absolute/path/to/netbox-ssh-browser/.venv/bin/nssh" \
  "$HOME/bin/nssh"

The link remains valid only while the project and .venv stay at the same location.

For release preparation and PyPI publication, see PUBLISHING.md.

Configuration

Set the NetBox URL and API token in config.toml:

[netbox]
url = "https://netbox.example.com"
api_token = "your-token"
verify_ssl = true

Enter the token without a Bearer or Token prefix; the application adds it. These environment variables override corresponding TOML settings:

For example, in Linux or WSL you can set overrides for the current shell:

export NETBOX_URL="https://netbox.example.com"
export NETBOX_API_TOKEN="your-token"
export NETBOX_VERIFY_SSL="true"

Press C in nssh to create or edit the configuration. On macOS and Linux, you can also create it manually:

mkdir -p ~/.config/netbox-ssh-browser
nano ~/.config/netbox-ssh-browser/config.toml
chmod 600 ~/.config/netbox-ssh-browser/config.toml

To use a different file:

export NETBOX_SSH_CONFIG="/path/to/config.toml"

Configuration files are checked in this order:

1. NETBOX_SSH_CONFIG.
2. ~/.config/netbox-ssh-browser/config.toml.
3. config.toml in the current working directory.

Environment variables override corresponding TOML values. Keep the user configuration private with mode 0600 and never commit a real token.

NetBox settings

TLS certificate verification is enabled by default. For a development instance with a self-signed certificate, you can disable it:

[netbox]
verify_ssl = false

For production, keep verify_ssl = true and use a certificate trusted by the client.

Inventory filters

[sync]
device_statuses = ["active"]
ignored_manufacturers = ["Example Manufacturer"]
ignored_device_types = ["MX*"]
ignored_name_patterns = ["*CORE", "TEST-*"]
device_roles = [
  "Access Switch",
  "Core Router",
  "Edge Router",
]

• device_statuses contains NetBox status slugs. An empty list downloads all statuses.
• device_roles contains exact Device Role names, compared case-insensitively. An empty list includes every role.
• ignored_manufacturers accepts manufacturer names, slugs, or display values, compared case-insensitively. An empty list excludes nothing.
• ignored_device_types contains case-insensitive glob patterns matched against a device type's model, slug, and display value.
• ignored_name_patterns contains case-insensitive glob patterns matched against device names. * matches any text and ? matches one character.
• Status filters are sent to the NetBox API. Other inventory filters are applied before the cache is written.

Automatic configuration updates

On startup and when reloading configuration with C, nssh adds missing sync.address_order, tree.layout, and tree.unassigned_group settings to the active configuration file selected by the precedence rules above. Existing values (including empty lists), comments, and custom settings are preserved.

The application runs with your user permissions and never requests sudo or administrator access. Updates are atomic. If the file is read-only or cannot be replaced, a warning is shown and the application continues using the existing settings and in-memory defaults.

For newly inserted address_order entries in a regular TOML table, the # First available source wins... comment starts on a separate line. Existing entries are not reformatted. If no configuration file exists, press C to create one from the current template.

SSH address selection

[sync]
address_order = ["primary_ip4", "primary_ip6", "oob_ip", "fqdn"]

The first non-empty address wins. The default order is shown above. fqdn uses NetBox's device name as a DNS/SSH target; it does not read a separate FQDN field or check DNS resolution. Put oob_ip first to prefer out-of-band management.

Only listed sources are used. For example, ["oob_ip", "primary_ip4"] excludes IPv6 and name-based connections; ["oob_ip"] imports only devices with an OOB address. Devices without any selected address are omitted and counted in the synchronization summary. An empty list ([]) omits all NetBox devices. Unknown or duplicate source names are rejected.

Press S after changing this setting: synchronization stores the selected address in the offline cache. Manual device targets are unchanged.

SSH jump host

Press C and set the jump host in config.toml:

[ssh]
jump_host = "jump-host"

Use a hostname, IP address, user@host, or an alias from ~/.ssh/config. For example, admin@bastion.example.com connects to the bastion as admin.

Highlight a NetBox or manual device and press J to enable the jump host. Press Enter to connect, or select devices for an iTerm2 multi-tab launch. Press J again to use direct SSH. An empty jump_host setting prevents new selections.

Devices marked J use the jump host; others connect directly. Choices are saved in jump-host-devices.json alongside manual.json and survive restarts and inventory syncs.

The connection runs a second SSH client on the jump host:

ssh -tt jump-host "ssh target"

The jump host needs an SSH client and network access to the target. Target DNS resolution, SSH settings, host keys, and authentication are handled there. This works when TCP forwarding is disabled and allows password prompts on the target connection. The application does not store passwords.

First Run

1. Set url and api_token in the private user config.toml.

2. Run the application:

   nssh
   

3. Press S to load inventory from NetBox. The list is empty until the first sync.

4. Check the status bar for errors.

5. Use the arrow keys and Enter to browse locations and connect to a device.

The /api/status/ endpoint is checked first. Inventory is saved only after all required API requests and filters complete successfully.

Navigation

Location and role headings group the entries:

Region Group A
  Country A
  Country B

City A
  branch-a-01
  branch-a-02

Access Switch
  switch-01    192.0.2.10
  switch-02    switch-02.example.com

Arrow keys skip headings. Opening a device suspends the browser and starts SSH; when the session ends, the browser returns to the same view. Going back from a site or branch restores the previous selection.

In iTerm2 on macOS, select devices with Ctrl+T or Space, then press Enter to open each connection in a separate tab. The nssh tab stays open. macOS may ask for permission to automate iTerm2 on the first launch. Ctrl+U clears the selection. Other terminals support one SSH session at a time and show a message if you try to open multiple sessions.

C and M open files in $VISUAL, then $EDITOR if set. The fallback is nano on macOS/Linux and notepad on Windows. Missing files are created before opening the editor; changes are reloaded after a successful exit. The editor process does not inherit the NetBox URL or API token.

Tree Layout

Existing configurations need no changes: a missing [tree] table or layout setting defaults to auto.

[tree]
layout = "auto"  # auto | regions | sites
unassigned_group = "Other sites"

• auto uses the region view when cached regions or regional manual entries exist; otherwise it lists sites directly.
• regions preserves region headings and country/city/branch navigation. Sites without an available region appear under Other sites (configurable).
• sites lists all sites directly, even when they belong to regions. Opening a site shows devices grouped by Device Role.

These settings only affect the browser, never the NetBox inventory. Editing the configuration with C immediately rebuilds the view from local data, without an API request. Selections for jump-host connections survive layout changes.

Manual Inventory

Manual devices are stored in manual.json, separately from the NetBox cache. In the region view, navigate to a location with at least three path elements, or open a site in the unassigned group. In the sites view, open a site. Press + and enter:

• device name,
• IP address or hostname,
• Device Role.

The current location supplies the location fields. In the sites view, only branch is filled, using the site name. Manual devices are marked ◇ and included in / search and SSH connections.

To edit the file directly, use this format:

{
  "version": 1,
  "devices": [
    {
      "region": "Region Group A",
      "country": "Country A",
      "city": "City A",
      "branch": "branch-a-01",
      "role": "Access Switch",
      "name": "manual-switch-01",
      "target": "192.0.2.50"
    }
  ]
}

The region, country, and city fields may be omitted, empty strings, or null. branch, role, name, and target must contain non-empty text. Existing complete v1 entries remain supported. For a site-only entry:

{
  "version": 1,
  "devices": [
    {
      "branch": "Test Site 01",
      "role": "Core",
      "name": "manual-switch-01",
      "target": "10.250.1.1"
    }
  ]
}

Empty location levels are skipped. In sites mode, branch determines where an entry appears; stored region/country/city values are retained. In regions mode, entries without a region appear under the configured unassigned group. Manual entries are matched to locations by name, so use unambiguous site names when combining them with NetBox sites.

Missing locations are added to the displayed tree from manual.json. Sync does not modify this file. Invalid JSON or an unsupported format stops startup with an error.

The file is stored in the user data directory:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/netbox-ssh-browser/manual.json
• Linux: ~/.local/share/netbox-ssh-browser/manual.json
• Windows: the netbox-ssh-browser data directory under %LOCALAPPDATA%

The directory is mode 0700 and the file is mode 0600 where supported.

Inventory Rules

• NetBox API pagination is followed until every permitted object is downloaded. Pagination and HTTP redirects must retain the configured scheme, host, and port; requests outside that origin are rejected before sending credentials.
• Device status filters are queried separately and results are deduplicated by NetBox object ID.
• Devices without an available site cannot be placed in the tree; the sync status reports them as omitted. A missing region does not hide a site.
• Empty regions, countries, cities, branches, and Device Role groups are removed.
• A site is not duplicated when its name matches the final region name.
• IP prefixes are stripped before invoking SSH; for example, 192.0.2.10/24 becomes 192.0.2.10.
• SSH target priority is controlled by [sync] address_order; the default is primary_ip4, primary_ip6, oob_ip, then fqdn (device name). Devices without an address from these sources are omitted during sync.
• The cache contains only objects visible to the NetBox user associated with the API token.
• Manual devices are merged only in memory and are never written to the NetBox cache.

Local Cache

The cache is stored per user:

• macOS: ~/Library/Caches/netbox-ssh-browser/devices.json
• Linux: ~/.cache/netbox-ssh-browser/devices.json
• Windows: the netbox-ssh-browser cache directory under %LOCALAPPDATA%

The JSON cache contains the sync timestamp, regions, sites, Device Roles, device names, and the selected SSH addresses (primary IP, OOB IP, or device name). Only devices with an address from address_order are stored. Changing that order requires a new sync with S; changing the tree layout works offline. The cache never contains the NetBox API token or SSH credentials.

The cache format is version 3. It stores minimal region, site, and device records with ID-based relationships, independently of the selected layout. An empty region list and sites with region_id: null are supported. The tree is rebuilt from these records locally, so layouts can be changed offline.

After upgrading from cache v2, press S once to synchronize. Old snapshots cannot recover previously omitted sites/devices or their original relationships. Invalid or unsupported cache files are ignored and the UI asks for a refresh. Synchronization does not modify manual.json or jump-host selections.

Development

Source files in src/netbox_ssh:

• cli.py loads configuration and starts the Textual application.
• config.py merges TOML settings and environment variables.
• config_upgrade.py uses TOML Kit to add missing defaults while preserving existing values and comments, then atomically replaces writable files.
• netbox.py handles authentication, pagination, status filtering, and API requests.
• service.py coordinates synchronization and inventory filtering.
• model.py builds and prunes the location tree.
• inventory.py normalizes API data, selects SSH addresses according to address_order, omits devices without a selected address, and resolves layouts.
• cache.py validates and atomically writes cache version 3.
• manual.py validates, stores, and merges persistent manual devices.
• jump_state.py stores persistent per-device jump-host choices.
• tui.py implements navigation, search, background sync, and SSH handoff.
• terminal.py contains the optional multi-tab iTerm2 integration.

Run local checks before submitting changes:

python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
python -m compileall -q src tests

Compatibility

See COMPATIBILITY.md for the supported Python, operating system, terminal, and NetBox versions.

Manually tested on:

• macOS on Apple silicon (MacBook Pro M5 Pro) with iTerm2,
• Ubuntu under WSL2 on Windows,
• native Windows with PowerShell, Windows Terminal, and Windows OpenSSH.

CI runs the test suite on macOS, Ubuntu, and Windows with Python 3.11 and 3.13.

Acknowledgements

Development of NetBox SSH Browser was assisted by OpenAI Codex.