Getting started
Adding a host and connecting takes about five minutes, including generating a key that cannot be copied off the phone.
1. Add a host
Tap the + button on the Hosts screen. Enter an alias, the hostname or IP, and your username. Then answer the one question that matters:
Reach this host via
- Direct
- Straight to the address you entered.
- Jump host
- Through a bastion you have configured. Pro.
- Tailscale
- Over the app's embedded node.
- AWS
- Instance Connect. Enter the instance ID; no password or key needed.
- Google Cloud
- IAP. Enter the instance name and zone; leave the username blank.
- Cloudflare Access
- Access application. You still set a password or key.
Only the fields your choice needs are shown.
2. Choose how you authenticate
For Direct, Tailscale, Jump host and Cloudflare, pick a password or a key. The recommended option is a key that cannot leave the phone:
- Select SSH Key, then + Hardware.
- Give it a name, and decide whether each use should require your fingerprint.
- Tap Generate. The app shows the
authorized_keysline. - Copy it and add it to
~/.ssh/authorized_keyson the server.
ssh you@your-server
mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
echo 'PASTE_THE_LINE_HERE' >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
A hardware-backed key cannot be backed up or moved to another phone. Keep a second way in — another key, or console access — before you rely on it. If you want a key that travels, use a YubiKey.
3. Connect
Tap the host. On the first connection the app records the server's fingerprint and tells you it has done so. From then on it verifies it and refuses to connect if it changes.
Next steps
- Turn on the app lock: Settings → Security.
- Browse the snippet library.
- Set a backup passphrase if you are on Pro.