SSH Manager Pro Get the app

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

On a fresh install, the Setup First Host guided wizard walks you through setting up your first server in 4 straightforward steps. You can also tap the + button at any time to open the Add Host screen with progressive disclosure. 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. Free.
Jump host
Through another host flagged as a bastion. Free, single hop only.
Tailscale
Over the app's embedded node. Free.
AWS
Instance Connect. Enter the instance ID; no password or key needed. Pro.
Google Cloud
IAP. Enter the instance name and zone; leave the username blank. Pro.
Cloudflare Access
Access application. You still set a password or key. Pro.

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:

The app already created a key for this phone on first launch; you can select it and copy its public key without generating another.

  1. In the host screen's Key tab, tap Add another key (or go to Settings → Security → SSH keys → Add key).
  2. Tap Add key → Generate a hardware-backed key, give it a name, and decide whether each use should require your fingerprint.
  3. Tap Generate. The app shows the authorized_keys line.
  4. Copy it, add it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server, the new key is selected for you on the host's Key tab.
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