sshplex 1.8.0

Multiplex your SSH connections with style

Multiplex your SSH connections with style

SSHplex is a Python-based SSH connection multiplexer with a modern TUI. Connect to multiple hosts simultaneously using tmux or iTerm2, with sources from NetBox, Ansible, Consul, or static lists.

Features

• 🖥️ Modern TUI - Textual-based host selector with search, sort, and multi-select
• 🔌 Multiple Sources - NetBox, Ansible, Consul, static lists - use them together
• 📦 3 Mux Backends - tmux standalone, tmux + iTerm2, or iTerm2 native (macOS)
• ✏️ Config Editor - Built-in editor with compact source cards, static host rows, and full YAML pane
• 🔄 Broadcast Input - Sync commands across multiple SSH sessions
• 🔐 SSH Security - Configurable host key checking and retry logic
• 🚀 Fast Startup - Intelligent caching with configurable TTL

What Is New in QoL v2

• Static host manager in UI - Add and edit static hosts as rows (name, ip, alias, user, port, key_path) instead of raw YAML blobs.
• Per-host SSH preview - Preview effective SSH values from ssh -G in settings and from host selector (o).
• Smarter table columns - Detect columns from live hosts/cache/imports, including SSH-oriented fields like alias, user, port, and key_path.
• Better Sources UX - Provider toggles and collapsible import cards make large source configs easier to navigate.
• Rich YAML view - Side-by-side YAML edit + syntax-highlight preview for full config inspection.

Quick Start

# Install
pip install sshplex

# First-time setup (interactive wizard)
sshplex --onboarding

# Launch TUI
sshplex

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• tmux (Linux/macOS) and/or iTerm2 (macOS)
• SSH key configured for target hosts

Multiplexer Backends

Backend	Platform	Best For
tmux	Linux, macOS	Maximum compatibility, persistence
tmux + iTerm2	macOS	Native UI + persistence
iTerm2 native	macOS	Simple setup, no tmux dependency

Sources of Truth

Provider	type	Extra Dependency	Best For
Static	static	None	Small lists, lab hosts, quick manual entries
NetBox	netbox	None (included in base install)	Inventory-driven infrastructure with metadata
Ansible	ansible	None	Reusing existing Ansible inventory files
Consul	consul	pip install "sshplex[consul]"	Service discovery and dynamic node catalogs
Git	git	git binary in PATH	Git-backed inventories with auto-pull (static or ansible YAML)

Provider activation is controlled by sot.providers, and each source is configured as an item in sot.import.

Use multiple git imports and tune priority for deterministic overrides.

Local Demo (Consul + Ansible)

This repo includes a small demo setup that uses the same IP (192.168.31.216) with different host names.

# Start Consul + seed 3 demo nodes
docker compose -f demo/docker-compose.consul-demo.yml up -d

# Optional: inspect nodes
curl -s http://localhost:8500/v1/catalog/nodes | jq

Demo files:

• demo/ansible-inventory-demo.yml
• demo/docker-compose.consul-demo.yml
• demo/sshplex.demo.yaml

Run with the bundled demo config:

sshplex --config demo/sshplex.demo.yaml

Documentation

Guide	Description
Configuration	Full config reference with examples
Backends	Multiplexer backend options and setup
Troubleshooting	Common issues and solutions

Installation Options

# Basic (tmux only)
pip install sshplex

# With Consul,DEV,Iterm2 support
pip install "sshplex[dev,consul,iterm2]"

Development

git clone https://github.com/sabrimjd/sshplex.git
cd sshplex
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest tests/ -v

# Quality checks
ruff check sshplex tests
mypy sshplex

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Author

Sabrimjd - @sabrimjd

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SSHplex - Because managing multiple SSH connections should be simple.