ssh-connect — tiny CLI to manage SSH profiles with encrypted passwords

#linux #cli #bash #devops

Tired of messy ~/.ssh/config and copy‑pasted one‑liners?

ssh-connect is a tiny Bash CLI to create, update and connect to SSH profiles — with encrypted passwords, an optional fzf picker, and a one‑command install.

TL;DR

Encrypted passwords (OpenSSL AES‑256‑CBC + PBKDF2, master passphrase)
Key or password auth; auto‑login via sshpass (optional)
Interactive profile picker via fzf (optional)
Export/Import profiles to tar.gz
Works on Linux/macOS; single script; no vendor lock‑in

Repo: https://github.com/bpidperygora/SSH-profile-manager

Why: what’s missing in existing tools

The problem isn’t SSH itself — it’s the glue:

Plain ~/.ssh/config is great for keys, but doesn’t handle encrypted passwords, CRUD, or export.
Teams often end up with ad‑hoc scripts and scattered secrets.

Concretely, common tools fall short when you need a single CLI that provides: local password encryption + sshpass auto‑login + interactive picker + export + one‑file install.

Alternatives (and gaps)

Tool	Type	Password encryption	CLI‑first	`fzf` picker	`sshpass` auto‑login	Export	One‑file install
StormSSH	CLI (Python)	No	Yes	No (relies on ssh_config)	No	No	No
assh (Advanced SSH config)	YAML→ssh_config generator	No	Yes	No	No	No	No
Termius	GUI w/ E2E sync	Yes (E2E)	No (GUI‑centric)	No	No	Partial	No
PuTTY/Plink + Pageant	GUI/CLI (Windows)	No	Mixed	No	No	Sessions (not profiles export)	No
OpenSSH config + shell scripts	DIY	No (unless you add `pass`)	Yes	Sometimes	Sometimes	No	N/A
`pass` + `sshpass` combo	Toolkit	Yes (in `pass`)	Yes	No	Yes	No	No

ssh-connect combines the above into one cohesive CLI workflow.

Features

Create/Update/Delete/List profiles under ~/ssh_profile/profiles
Connect by name: ssh-connect <name>
Choose auth per profile: SSH key or encrypted password
Master‑passphrase encryption (OpenSSL AES‑256‑CBC + PBKDF2; stored as base64)
Optional fzf picker for fast interactive selection
Optional sshpass for non‑interactive password auth
Export/Import profiles to tar.gz (with decryption on export)

Install

Linux/macOS (Intel):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bpidperygora/SSH-profile-manager/main/install.sh \
  | GITHUB_REPO=bpidperygora/SSH-profile-manager bash -s -- --bin-dir=/usr/local/bin --name=ssh-connect

macOS (Apple Silicon):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bpidperygora/SSH-profile-manager/main/install.sh \
  | GITHUB_REPO=bpidperygora/SSH-profile-manager bash -s -- --bin-dir=/opt/homebrew/bin --name=ssh-connect

Dependencies:

required: openssl
optional: sshpass (auto‑login), fzf (picker)
disable auto‑install of deps:

NO_DEPS=1 ./install.sh --bin-dir=/usr/local/bin --name=ssh-connect

Uninstall:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bpidperygora/SSH-profile-manager/main/uninstall.sh \
  | bash -s -- --bin-dir=/usr/local/bin --name=ssh-connect

Usage

ssh-connect                   # interactive selector and connect
ssh-connect <name>            # connect to profile by name
ssh-connect create            # create a new profile
ssh-connect update [<name>]   # update existing profile (prompts)
ssh-connect delete [<name>]   # delete a profile
ssh-connect export            # export all profiles to tar.gz
ssh-connect list              # list profile names