RemoteSSH

RemoteSSH has two code bases that share one feature set and one site file format:

Platform	App	Folder
macOS 15+	Native SwiftUI app	macos/
Windows 10+ (x64, arm64)	Electron + React app from electron/, packaged by windows/	windows/
Linux (x64, arm64)	Electron + React app from electron/, packaged by linux/	linux/

Features

• Connect: type an address such as sftp://user@host:port/path and press Connect, or save servers in the Site Manager with folders, logon types (anonymous, normal, ask for password, key file) and default folders. Saved sites are listed in a sidebar: one click connects, and the connected site is marked.
• Secure storage: saved passwords go into the system keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows DPAPI, or the Secret Service/KWallet on Linux). If no keyring is available, RemoteSSH asks for the password instead of saving it in plain text.
• SFTP: password or key-file login with Ed25519 and RSA keys (rsa-sha2-256/512), including passphrase-protected keys. Host keys are checked against SHA-256 fingerprints, and you are warned if a key changes.
• FTP/FTPS: explicit or implicit TLS. Before any password is sent, you are asked about certificates that can't be verified.
• Browsing: local and remote panes side by side, with sortable columns, a filter, file-type icons, hidden files, directory comparison, synchronized browsing, and drag & drop between panes and from your file manager.
• Workspace: the same layout on every platform. The activity log, the transfer queue and the terminal share one resizable panel below the panes, with a tab for each; it can be collapsed or, for the terminal, maximized.
• File operations: create, rename, delete (recursively), change permissions, and View/Edit (open a remote file locally and upload it again when you save).
• SSH terminal: for SFTP sites, the Terminal tab opens a shell on the server, on its own connection, in the folder you're viewing. Open it with Ctrl+` (all platforms), the toolbar, or Open Terminal Here on a remote folder. On Windows and Linux, copy and paste are Ctrl+Shift+C / Ctrl+Shift+V.
• Transfer queue: parallel transfers, queued/failed/done tabs, automatic retries, resume, a choice of what to do when a file already exists, and speed limits. The queue is kept across restarts.
• Appearance: light, dark, or follow the system, chosen in Settings.
• Automatic updates: checks GitHub for a new release at startup (or Check for Updates… in the menu), then downloads, installs and relaunches. The Windows portable .exe and Linux .tar.gz builds only open the download page.
• Import/export: File → Export Sites… writes a .remotessh file and File → Import from RemoteSSH… reads one. The same file works on every platform. Passwords are only included if you choose to.

Download

Every release has the packages for all platforms:

• Windows: RemoteSSH-x.y.z-win-x64.exe (installer), -win-arm64.exe, or RemoteSSH-x.y.z-portable.exe.
• Linux: .AppImage, .deb (Debian/Ubuntu) or .tar.gz, for x64 and arm64.
• macOS: RemoteSSH-x.y.z-macos.zip.

The macOS app is signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple, so it opens without a warning. The Windows builds are not code-signed: SmartScreen shows a warning the first time, so click More info → Run anyway.

Build from source

Windows and Linux (electron/)

You need Node.js 22 or later. The shared Electron app lives in electron/; windows/ and linux/ hold each platform's packaging settings (electron-builder.json) and receive its packages in dist/.

cd electron
npm ci
npm start              # build and run
npm test               # unit tests
npm run test:live      # + live FTP/FTPS/SFTP tests (Linux/macOS: needs sshd, python3, openssl)
npm run dist:linux     # → ../linux/dist/*.AppImage, *.deb, *.tar.gz
npm run dist:win       # → ../windows/dist/*.exe (works from Windows, macOS or Linux)

macOS (macos/)

You need macOS 15 or later with Xcode 16 or later. The Command Line Tools alone are not enough, because the terminal view includes a Metal shader. With Xcode 26 or later, install the Metal Toolchain once: xcodebuild -downloadComponent MetalToolchain.

cd macos
./scripts/build-app.sh          # → dist/RemoteSSH.app (ad-hoc signed)
./scripts/integration-test.sh   # unit tests + live FTP/FTPES/SFTP tests against throwaway local servers

Where data is stored

	Sites, known hosts, queue, settings	Passwords
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/RemoteSSH/	Keychain (service RemoteSSH)
Windows	%APPDATA%\RemoteSSH\	secrets.json, encrypted with DPAPI
Linux	~/.config/RemoteSSH/	secrets.json, encrypted using the Secret Service or KWallet

License

MIT © Fahed Alhammadi