SSH Dashboard

A careful desktop dashboard for ~/.ssh. It lists every host in known_hosts and ssh_config, every key pair, lets you remove entries safely, edit Host blocks, and open an SSH session — all with timestamped backups and a local activity journal.

Built with .NET 10 and Avalonia for macOS, Windows and Linux.

Website and downloads →

Features

• Hosts — merges known_hosts and ssh_config (including Included files) into one list, showing address, user, port, key types and where each entry comes from. Hashed known_hosts entries are listed and removable too. Select rows with the checkboxes and remove them in one action.
• Open SSH session — button, Tools menu, footer action or double-click. Uses the ssh_config alias when there is one, so ProxyJump, IdentityFile and ports behave exactly as on the command line; otherwise ssh user@address -p port. The session opens in an in-app terminal window.
• Configuration — every Host block with HostName, User, Port and IdentityFile. Double-click to edit patterns and options; comments and unknown options are preserved. Match and Host * blocks are read-only.
• PuTTY keys — import .ppk files with a file dialog (validated, copied into ~/.ssh, named after the selected host) or drop them there directly. .ppk v2/v3 files are recognised with their fingerprint. Unencrypted RSA/Ed25519 PPKs are converted to a temporary OpenSSH key for sessions, then deleted; passphrase-protected PPKs prompt once and convert through puttygen when installed.
• Keys — private and public key files with type, SHA256 fingerprint, size and file permissions.
• Activity — a local journal of each removal, edit, import, undo and restore.
• Backups — a browser for every timestamped backup, with restore. Retention is 30 days or 200 files, whichever is smaller.
• Undo — restores every file touched by the last action, not just one.
• Themes — System, Dark and Light. System follows the OS, including changes while the app is open. The choice is persisted.
• Resizable workspace — draggable splitters for the sidebar and details rail, star-sized table columns, 1040×640 minimum window.
• Export — the current view to CSV.
• Connection test — TCP port check; on macOS it uses /usr/bin/nc, so no Local Network permission is needed.
• Safe writes — an exclusive write lock, atomic replacement and preserved permissions; non-UTF-8 comments survive deletion byte-for-byte.

Safety model

Every write follows the same path:

1. The target file is copied to ~/.ssh/.sshdashboard/backups/<timestamp>-<name>.
2. Deletion re-reads and re-parses the file, removing only lines or blocks that still match the selection.
3. Data is written to a temporary file in the same directory, the original permissions are applied, then an atomic rename replaces the file.
4. The action is appended to the activity journal.

The app never writes outside ~/.ssh. Included files and Match / global Host * blocks are read-only; only the main config is edited.

Download

All builds are self-contained — no .NET runtime required on the target.

Platform	File
macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon + Intel)	SSH-Dashboard-2.1.4-macOS-universal.dmg
Windows 10/11 x64 — installer	SSH-Dashboard-2.1.4-Setup.exe
Windows 10/11 x64 — portable	SSH-Dashboard-2.1.4-windows-x64.zip
Linux x64	SSH-Dashboard-2.1.4-linux-x64.tar.gz

Checksums: SHA256SUMS-2.1.4.txt.

macOS

Open the DMG and drag SSH Dashboard into Applications. The DMG is a universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel, macOS 12 or newer.

The build is ad-hoc signed and not notarized, so a downloaded copy is quarantined by Gatekeeper. On first launch use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway, or right-click the app → Open. To clear the quarantine flag directly:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/SSH Dashboard.app"

A fully double-click install needs a Developer ID certificate and Apple notarization. The exact commands are in docs/APP-STORE.md, together with the Mac App Store assessment (the current sandbox-dependent design is not App Store-ready).

Windows installer

A branded EXE installer is built manually, never on a push:

1. Open Actions → windows-installer → Run workflow.
2. Enter the version (for example 2.1.4) and run it.
3. The run attaches SSH-Dashboard-<version>-Setup.exe to the matching GitHub release, and also uploads it as a workflow artifact.

It installs per-user (no administrator prompt), creates a Start menu entry and an optional desktop shortcut, registers an uninstaller in Apps & features, and uses the app icon throughout. The wizard artwork lives in installer/assets/ and is regenerated by installer/generate-artwork.py.

Windows and Linux binaries

Build a self-contained binary (no .NET runtime needed on the target):

# Windows x64
dotnet publish dotnet/src/SshDashboard.App -c Release -r win-x64 \
  --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true \
  -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true -o out/win

# Linux x64
dotnet publish dotnet/src/SshDashboard.App -c Release -r linux-x64 \
  --self-contained true -p:PublishSingleFile=true \
  -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true -o out/linux

CI builds all three platforms on every push and publishes a tagged release with checksums (see .github/workflows/build.yml).

Build and run

Requires the .NET 10 SDK.

cd dotnet
dotnet restore
dotnet run --project src/SshDashboard.App
dotnet test

The --check switch prints what the app sees without opening a window:

dotnet run --project src/SshDashboard.App -- --check

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
F5	Rescan ~/.ssh
Delete	Remove the selected rows or block
Cmd/Ctrl + A	Select all hosts
Cmd/Ctrl + E	Export the current view
Cmd/Ctrl + ,	Settings
Cmd/Ctrl + Z	Undo the last change, restoring every file it touched
Cmd/Ctrl + 1…4	Hosts, Configuration, Keys, Activity
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + T	Open an SSH session

Project layout

dotnet/
  SshDashboard.slnx
  src/
    SshDashboard.Core/    parsers, store, backups, settings, platform helpers
    SshDashboard.App/     Avalonia UI, view models, dialogs, SSH launcher
  tests/
    SshDashboard.Core.Tests/
  assets/                 .icns and PNG icon sources
docs/screenshots/         README images (fictional demo data)

The store is the only component that writes; the UI calls it and reloads the snapshot afterwards.

Testing

dotnet test dotnet/tests/SshDashboard.Core.Tests

Eight tests cover known_hosts parsing (shared lines, hashed hosts, ports), merging with ssh_config, safe deletion with backups, config editing with comment preservation, restore and CSV escaping. Tests use a temporary SSH folder and never touch your real ~/.ssh.

License

No license is granted; all rights reserved. Open an issue if you would like a permissive license added.

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_{Built by JPHsystems · macOS, Windows and Linux · .NET + Avalonia}