Modern SSH client family for Android, Linux, macOS, Windows, and BSD. Open-source and privacy-focused.

SSH Config Import / Export

Bring your existing ~/.ssh/config in, push your TabSSH connections back out, or bulk-import from spreadsheets and PuTTY.

📥 Import ~/.ssh/config

Already have a curated SSH config? TabSSH parses it directly.

  • Desktop: reads ~/.ssh/config in place — no import step. Edit it with vim as you always have, TabSSH picks up changes on next launch.
  • Mobile: get the ~/.ssh/config file onto the device (SAF, sync app, paste). In TabSSH → menu → Import SSH Config. TabSSH shows a preview of every Host stanza; tick the ones you want and tap Import.

Supported directives include:

  • Host + host patterns / wildcards
  • HostName, Port, User
  • IdentityFile — paired with already-imported keys by name
  • ProxyJump — cascading jump hosts
  • ProxyCommand — for exotic tunnel setups
  • Compression, ServerAliveInterval, ForwardX11, ForwardAgent
  • Per-host port-forwarding directives

📤 Export to SSH Config (Wave 6.1)

Round-trip your TabSSH connections back to a usable ~/.ssh/config.

  • Menu → Export SSH Config — generates a config file.
  • Pick where to save via the system file picker (any SAF location).
  • Generated config is human-readable and identical in shape to what you'd hand-write.
  • Useful for bootstrapping a new laptop or sharing your host list with a colleague.
  • Note: passwords and private keys are never exported — only the metadata your CLI ssh needs.

🗂️ Bulk Import (Wave 1, 6.4 / 6.5)

For migrating from another tool, or just provisioning a lot of hosts at once.

  • CSV — columns: name, host, port, username, auth_type, …
  • JSON — array of connection objects with the same fields as the database entity
  • PuTTY .ppk lists — exported from PuTTY's session list
  • Preview screen lets you map columns / fields and skip duplicates before committing.
  • Companion: bulk delete (Wave 6.2) and bulk-edit dialog for multi-host updates.

📦 Encrypted ZIP Backup

For full-fidelity backups (including credentials), TabSSH ships its own encrypted backup format.

  • Menu → Export Backup — produces tabssh_backup_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.zip.
  • Optional password — produces an AES-256-GCM encrypted ZIP if set.
  • Includes connections, SSH keys, themes, host keys, settings.
  • Menu → Import Backup to restore on the same or another device.
  • For "always sync between phones," use SAF cloud sync instead — it handles 3-way merge and conflict resolution.
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