ssh-telegram-manager 1.1.0

Python app to launch sshd server from Telegram

SSH Telegram Manager

SSH Telegram Manager is a Telegram bot designed to launch your SSH daemon on demand. This tool allows you to keep your SSH port closed by default, enhancing security by only exposing it when you explicitly request it via Telegram.

Features

• On-demand SSH: Start your SSH server only when needed via a Telegram command.
• Automatic Shutdown: SSH server automatically closes after a configurable timeout.
• External IP Display: Easily retrieve your server's external IP address via Telegram.
• Secure by Default: Avoid permanent exposure of your SSH port to the internet.

Installation

1. Install the package:

   pip install ssh_telegram_manager
   

2. Obtain a Telegram Bot Token: Follow a guide like this one ( https://www.siteguarding.com/en/how-to-get-telegram-bot-api-token ) to get your bot token: How to get Telegram Bot API Token

3. Configure the bot:

   • Create the configuration directory if it doesn't exist:

     sudo mkdir -p /etc/ssh_telegram_manager/
     

   • Copy the default configuration file to the system-wide configuration path:

     sudo cp /path/to/your/cloned/repo/etc/ssh_telegram_manager/ssh_telegram_manager.default /etc/ssh_telegram_manager/ssh_telegram_manager
     

     (Replace /path/to/your/cloned/repo/ with the actual path where you cloned the ssh_telegram_manager repository).
   • Edit the copied configuration file (/etc/ssh_telegram_manager/ssh_telegram_manager) and replace YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN with the token you obtained in step 2.

4. Run the bot:

   ssh_telegram_manager
   

   For production environments, it's recommended to run this as a systemd service. A sample ssh_telegram_manager.service file is available in the etc/ directory of the repository.

5. Enhance Security (Recommended): Once the ssh_telegram_manager is working correctly, disable your SSH daemon from starting automatically at boot. This ensures your SSH port is not permanently exposed to the internet.

   sudo systemctl disable ssh
   

Configuration

The main configuration file is located at /etc/ssh_telegram_manager/ssh_telegram_manager. It uses INI format and contains the following sections:

[Telegram]
Token = YOUR_TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN

[SSHD]
command_start = systemctl start sshd
command_stop = systemctl stop sshd
timeout = 60

• [Telegram]

  • Token: Your Telegram Bot API token. This is mandatory for the bot to connect to Telegram.

• [SSHD]

  • command_start: The shell command executed to start your SSH daemon. Default is systemctl start sshd. Adjust if your system uses a different command (e.g., service ssh start).
  • command_stop: The shell command executed to stop your SSH daemon. Default is systemctl stop sshd. Adjust if your system uses a different command.
  • timeout: The number of seconds the SSH daemon will remain active after being started by the /ssh_start command. After this period, command_stop will be executed. Default is 60 seconds.

Usage

Interact with your bot on Telegram using the following commands:

• /ssh_start: Starts the SSH daemon on the server. It will automatically shut down after the configured timeout period. The bot will send a confirmation message with the server's hostname and the command executed.
• /ip: Displays the external IP address of the server where the bot is running. This is useful if your server's IP changes or if you need to quickly share it.