Priyanshu-1622

Priyanshu-1622 / skiff

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Self-hosted SSH connection manager. Open-source alternative to Termius.

connection-manager encryption fastify react self-hosted
15
0
89% credibility
Found May 30, 2026 at 15 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
TypeScript
AI Summary

Skiff is a self-hosted SSH connection manager that lets you securely store, organize, and connect to your servers through any browser. It encrypts all your SSH passwords and private keys using your master password, organizes hosts into folders with search and favorites, and provides a real in-browser terminal via WebSocket — all without requiring any cloud service or subscription. You deploy it with a single Docker command and everything runs on your own server.

How It Works

1
🔍 Discovering Skiff

You hear about Skiff from a friend or online community — a self-hosted SSH manager that keeps your server credentials encrypted and accessible from any browser.

2
🧰 Installing with one command

You run a simple Docker command to launch Skiff on your own server. Everything sets itself up automatically — no complicated configuration needed.

3
🔐 Creating your master password

On first launch, you create a strong master password that encrypts all your SSH credentials. This password never leaves your server — only you know it.

4
📂 Adding your servers

You either paste your existing SSH config file and Skiff automatically imports all your servers, or you add them manually one by one with their connection details.

5
Organizing your hosts
📁
Create folders

Group your servers by environment like Production, Staging, or Development.

⭐
Star important servers

Pin your most-used servers to the top for one-click access.

6
🖥️ Connecting to a server

You click on any server and a terminal opens right in your browser — a real SSH session, no fake shell, with your credentials securely decrypted in the background.

✅ Your SSH vault is ready

You have a beautiful, organized list of all your servers with an in-browser terminal. Your credentials are encrypted at rest, no cloud required, and you can access everything from any device.

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AI-Generated Review

What is skiff?

Skiff is a self-hosted SSH connection manager with an in-browser terminal. Think of it as a web-based alternative to Termius or Royal TSX -- you point it at your servers, enter your credentials, and connect through a real SSH session rendered in your browser. Credentials are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM with argon2id key derivation, and the vault stays locked until you enter your master password. Built with TypeScript, React, and Fastify, it deploys as a single Docker container with SQLite underneath. You can import directly from your existing ~/.ssh/config file, organize hosts into folders, star favorites, and search across labels, hostnames, and usernames.

Why is it gaining traction?

The appeal is straightforward: you get a polished SSH manager without handing your server inventory to a third party. Termius requires cloud sync to do anything useful. Royal TSX and SecureCRT are native apps with paid licenses. Skiff is free, open source, and runs on your own infrastructure with zero telemetry. The in-browser terminal is a genuine differentiator -- you can connect to a server from any device with a browser, no client install required. The security model is transparent: your master password never touches disk, only an HMAC verifier, and the vault key lives in memory until you lock or time out.

Who should use this?

Solo developers and small teams who want to own their SSH inventory without paying for commercial tools. If you manage a handful of VPS instances, homelab servers, or cloud VMs and you're tired of copy-pasting commands from a markdown file, this scratches that itch. It's not designed for teams needing shared access, audit logs, or SSO integration -- those features don't exist yet.

Verdict

Skiff is a well-architected, genuinely useful tool for its target use case. The security model is solid, the UX is clean, and Docker deployment works as advertised. However, with only 15 stars and a credibility score of 0.9%, it's early-stage software with limited community validation. The documentation is honest about rough edges -- no folder reordering, no restore-from-backup UI, occasional terminal resize lag. Worth trying if you want self-hosted SSH management, but treat it as a personal tool for now rather than mission-critical infrastructure.

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