remotex 1.0.1

A feature-rich SSH server management CLI tool

🚀 RemoteX

High-Performance SSH Management CLI for DevOps Engineers

Manage hundreds of servers with lightning-fast parallel execution, beautiful CLI output, and DevOps-focused shortcuts.

Features • Installation • Quick Start • Documentation • Contributing

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⚡ Highlights

# Quick start
remotex --version              # Check version
remotex examples               # See usage examples

# Server Groups - organize your infrastructure
remotex group add web web01 web02 web03
remotex exec-group web "systemctl restart nginx"
remotex exec-group web "uptime" --dry-run  # Preview first!

# Command Aliases - reduce repetitive typing
remotex alias add restart-nginx "sudo systemctl restart nginx"
remotex exec-group web restart-nginx

# File Transfer - push/pull files easily
remotex push web01 ./app.tar /opt/app/
remotex pull db01 /var/log/mysql.log ./logs/
remotex push web01 ./dist /var/www/ --recursive

# Execute on all servers in parallel - 10x faster, with retry & dry-run
remotex exec-all "systemctl status nginx" --parallel 10 --retries 2 --dry-run
remotex exec-all "uptime" --json | jq '.succeeded'  # CI/CD integration

# Production-ready output modes for DevOps automation
remotex exec-all "hostname" --json       # Pure JSON (pipe to jq)
remotex exec-all "uptime" --csv          # CSV for spreadsheets
remotex exec-all "df -h" --quiet         # Minimal scriptable output
remotex exec-all "ps aux" --compact      # Condensed single-line
remotex exec-all "systemctl status nginx" --plain  # No colors/formatting

# Quick DevOps shortcuts - no need to type full exec commands
remotex uptime  # Uses default server
remotex disk web01
remotex memory db01

# Beautiful, formatted output with Rich library
remotex list  # Stunning table view of all servers

# Enhanced logging for troubleshooting
remotex --verbose exec web01 "ls -la"
remotex --debug exec-all "uptime"

# Audit logging - all commands tracked automatically
cat ~/.remotex/audit.log  # JSON audit trail

# Command History - track and replay commands
remotex history                    # List recent commands
remotex history show 42            # Show command details
remotex history replay 42          # Replay a command

# SSH Tunnels - port forwarding made easy
remotex tunnel create web01 8080 --remote-port 80
remotex tunnel list                 # List active tunnels
remotex tunnel stop web01 8080     # Stop a tunnel

# Jump Hosts - access private servers through bastions
remotex add private-server -h 10.0.0.5 --jump-host bastion

# Performance Profiling - optimize your operations
remotex profile list                # List profile files
remotex profile show profile.prof   # Analyze performance

🎯 Why RemoteX?

Problem	Traditional Approach	RemoteX
Check 20 servers	20 × 3s = 60 seconds	12 seconds (parallel)
Type repetitive commands	ssh user@host 'uptime'	remotex uptime
Manage server configs	Edit ~/.ssh/config manually	Interactive remotex add
View command output	Plain text	Beautiful formatted panels
Execute on multiple servers	Write bash loops	remotex exec-all

✨ Features

🖥️ Server Management

• Add/Edit/Remove servers with interactive prompts
• List all configured servers with beautiful table view
• Info command with connection testing
• Integrates with SSH config (~/.ssh/config)

⚡ Performance Features

• Parallel execution on multiple servers (5-20x faster)
• Bulk operations (exec-all, exec-multi, exec-group)
• Quick commands for common DevOps tasks
• Default server configuration (no need to specify every time)
• Connection pooling and caching
• Production-ready output modes (JSON, CSV, quiet, plain, compact)
• Scriptable output for CI/CD pipelines and automation

🎨 Beautiful CLI

• Rich formatted output with colors and panels
• Progress bars for bulk operations
• Interactive prompts with validation
• Clean, organized command structure

🔐 Security

• SSH key authentication support
• No password storage
• Respects SSH config security settings
• Connection timeout management
• Audit logging - All commands tracked automatically

⚙️ Configuration Management

• Environment variables - Configure via REMOTEX_* env vars
• Config validation - remotex config validate
• Config export/import - Backup and restore configurations
• Default server - Set once, use everywhere
• Server groups - Organize servers logically
• Command aliases - Reusable command shortcuts

📦 Installation

From PyPI (Recommended)

pip install remotex

Note: After installation, you may want to install man pages:

# Linux/Mac (requires sudo for system-wide)
sudo python -m remotex.install_man_pages

# Or user-specific (no sudo needed)
python -m remotex.install_man_pages

Then you can use: man remotex

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/sagar.memane/remotex.git
cd remotex

# Create virtual environment (recommended)
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# Install
pip install -e .

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• SSH access to remote servers
• SSH keys configured (recommended)

🚀 Quick Start

1. Add Your First Server

remotex add
# Follow interactive prompts

Or use command-line options:

remotex add -a web01 -h 192.168.1.100 -u ubuntu --key ~/.ssh/id_rsa

2. List Servers

remotex list           # Basic view
remotex list -v        # Verbose with SSH keys

3. Set Default Server (Optional)

remotex config set-default web01
# Now you can use: remotex uptime (without specifying server)

# Or use environment variable:
export REMOTEX_DEFAULT_SERVER=web01

4. Execute Commands

# Single server
remotex exec web01 "df -h"

# All servers (parallel)
remotex exec-all "uptime"

# Specific servers
remotex exec-multi "web01,web02,db01" "systemctl status nginx"

# Production-ready output modes
remotex exec-all "hostname" --json        # Pure JSON for parsing
remotex exec-all "uptime" --csv           # CSV for reports
remotex exec-all "df -h" --quiet          # Minimal for scripts
remotex exec-all "ps aux" --plain         # No ANSI colors
remotex exec-all "ls -la" --compact       # One line per server
remotex exec-all "uptime" --show-output   # Show detailed output (opt-in)

5. Quick DevOps Commands

remotex uptime web01          # Quick uptime
remotex disk web01            # Disk usage
remotex memory web01          # Memory usage
remotex processes web01       # Top processes
remotex status web01 nginx    # Service status
remotex logs web01 nginx      # View logs

6. Interactive Shell

remotex connect web01
# Full PTY support - run vim, htop, top, etc.

⚙️ Configuration

Output Modes for DevOps Automation

RemoteX provides multiple output formats optimized for different use cases:

Mode	Flag	Use Case	Example
JSON	--json	CI/CD pipelines, parsing with jq	remotex exec-all 'cmd' --json | jq
CSV	--csv	Spreadsheets, reports, analytics	remotex exec-all 'cmd' --csv > report.csv
Quiet	--quiet, -q	Shell scripts, log files	remotex exec-all 'cmd' --quiet
Plain	--plain	Legacy systems, plain text logs	remotex exec-all 'cmd' --plain
Compact	--compact	Quick checks, condensed output	remotex exec-all 'cmd' --compact
Default	(none)	Interactive use, rich formatting	remotex exec-all 'cmd'

Key Features:

• --json outputs pure JSON (no decorative panels) - perfect for piping to jq
• --csv exports to CSV format - import into Excel or databases
• --quiet provides minimal one-line output per server - ideal for scripts
• --plain removes all ANSI formatting - for legacy terminals or log files
• --compact shows condensed single-line format - quick status checks
• --show-output displays detailed command output (opt-in, default is summary only)

Examples:

# Parse JSON in CI/CD pipeline
remotex exec-all 'hostname' --json | jq -r '.results[].output'

# Export to spreadsheet
remotex exec-all 'uptime' --csv > server_uptime.csv

# Shell script integration
for server in $(remotex exec-all 'hostname' --quiet | grep '✓' | cut -d: -f1); do
  echo "Processing $server"
done

# Clean logs without colors
remotex exec-all 'systemctl status nginx' --plain >> audit.log

# Quick status check
remotex exec-all 'df -h /' --compact

Environment Variables

RemoteX supports configuration via environment variables (takes precedence over config file):

export REMOTEX_DEFAULT_SERVER=web01
export REMOTEX_OUTPUT_MODE=compact
export REMOTEX_PARALLEL=10
export REMOTEX_TIMEOUT=60
export REMOTEX_AUDIT_ENABLED=true

Config Management

# Show current configuration
remotex config show

# Validate configuration
remotex config validate

# Export configuration (backup)
remotex config export
remotex config export --output my-config.json

# Import configuration (restore)
remotex config import my-config.json
remotex config import my-config.json --merge  # Merge with existing

📖 Documentation

• Quick Reference - Command cheat sheet
• Performance Guide - Optimization tips
• Architecture - Code structure
• CLI Best Practices - Best practices
• Feature Roadmap - Planned features
• Contributing - Development guide
• Security - Security policy
• Changelog - Version history

🎯 Common Use Cases

Daily Operations

# Morning health check
remotex exec-all "uptime && free -h" --parallel 10

# Check disk space across infrastructure
remotex exec-all "df -h /" --compact | grep "9[0-9]%"

# Export server inventory to CSV
remotex exec-all "hostname && cat /etc/os-release | grep PRETTY_NAME" --csv > inventory.csv

# Quick status check in shell script
if remotex exec-all 'systemctl is-active nginx' --quiet | grep -q '✗'; then
  echo "Alert: Some servers have nginx down!"
fi

Deployments

# Deploy to web servers
remotex exec-multi "web01,web02,web03" \
  "cd /app && git pull && systemctl restart app" --parallel 3

# Verify deployment
remotex exec-multi "web01,web02,web03" "curl -s localhost/health"

Troubleshooting

# Quick diagnostics
remotex memory prod01
remotex processes prod01
remotex logs prod01 nginx -n 100

# Check all servers for issues
remotex exec-all "systemctl is-failed --quiet || echo 'Services OK'"

🏗️ Project Structure

remotex/
├── __init__.py              # Package metadata  
├── cli.py                   # CLI entry point
├── config.py                # Configuration management
├── ssh_config.py            # SSH config operations
├── ssh_client.py            # Connection management
├── performance.py           # Caching & optimization
└── commands/                # Command modules
    ├── server_management.py # list, add, edit, remove, info
    ├── exec_command.py      # Remote execution
    ├── connect_command.py   # Interactive shell
    ├── bulk_operations.py   # exec-all, exec-multi
    ├── quick_commands.py    # Quick DevOps shortcuts
    └── config_command.py    # Configuration management

📚 Commands Reference

Server Management

Command	Description	Example
list	Show all configured servers	remotex list -v
add	Add a new server	remotex add -a web01 -h 1.2.3.4 -u ubuntu
info	Show server details	remotex info myserver
edit	Edit server configuration	remotex edit myserver
remove	Remove a server	remotex remove myserver

Execution

Command	Description	Example
exec	Execute command on server	remotex exec myserver "ls -la"
connect	Open interactive shell	remotex connect myserver
exec-all	Execute on all servers	remotex exec-all "uptime" --parallel 10
exec-multi	Execute on specific servers	remotex exec-multi "web01,web02" "df -h"
exec-group	Execute on server group	remotex exec-group web "systemctl restart nginx"

Output Mode Flags (available for all bulk commands):

• --json - Pure JSON output for parsing
• --csv - CSV format for spreadsheets
• --quiet / -q - Minimal scriptable output
• --plain - No ANSI colors/formatting
• --compact - Condensed single-line format
• --show-output - Display detailed command output

Configuration

Command	Description	Example
config show	Show configuration	remotex config show
config set-default	Set default server	remotex config set-default web01
config validate	Validate configuration	remotex config validate
config export	Export configuration	remotex config export
config import	Import configuration	remotex config import backup.json

Groups & Aliases

Command	Description	Example
group add	Create server group	remotex group add web web01 web02
alias add	Create command alias	remotex alias add restart-nginx "sudo systemctl restart nginx"

📝 SSH Config

RemoteX works with standard SSH config format:

Host myserver
    HostName 192.168.1.100
    User ubuntu
    Port 22
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Host production
    HostName prod.example.com
    User admin
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/prod_key

RemoteX can create and manage this file for you!

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines.

Quick Start

# Fork and clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/remotex.git
cd remotex

# Set up development environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -e .

# Create a feature branch
git checkout -b feat/your-feature-name
# or
git checkout -b fix/bug-description

# Make your changes and commit using conventional commits
git commit -m "feat(commands): add new feature"
git commit -m "fix(ssh): resolve connection issue"
git commit -m "docs(readme): update installation guide"

Commit Guidelines

We follow Conventional Commits:

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation changes
• perf: Performance improvements
• refactor: Code refactoring
• test: Tests
• ci: CI/CD changes
• chore: Maintenance

Example: feat(bulk): add connection pooling for 3x faster execution

See CONTRIBUTING.md for full guidelines and examples.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built with Typer - Modern CLI framework
• Styled with Rich - Beautiful terminal formatting
• SSH via Paramiko - Pure Python SSH implementation

📮 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Security: See SECURITY.md for reporting vulnerabilities

🗺️ Roadmap

✅ Implemented

• Server management (add, edit, remove, list)
• Remote command execution
• Interactive shell sessions
• Bulk parallel operations
• Quick DevOps shortcuts
• Server grouping
• Command aliases
• File transfer (push/pull)
• Configuration management
• Audit logging
• Dry-run mode
• JSON output
• Command history and replay ✨ NEW
• SSH tunnel management ✨ NEW
• Jump host / bastion support ✨ NEW
• Performance profiling tools ✨ NEW
• Man page generation ✨ NEW
• Test suite structure ✨ NEW

🚧 Planned

• Custom command templates
• Real-time log streaming
• Output comparison across servers
• Cloud provider integration (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Ansible playbook integration

See Feature Roadmap for detailed information.

🆘 Troubleshooting

Command not found after installation

source venv/bin/activate  # Activate virtual environment
pip install -e .  # Reinstall if needed
which remotex  # Should show path in venv

Connection issues

# Test SSH manually first
ssh -F ~/.ssh/config myserver

# Check server configuration
remotex info myserver

Permission errors with SSH keys

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa
chmod 700 ~/.ssh

Slow bulk operations

# Increase parallelism (default is 5)
remotex exec-all "uptime" --parallel 10

# Reduce timeout for faster failure detection
remotex exec-all "ping -c 1 google.com" --timeout 5

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