Top Related Projects
Quick Overview
GoTTY is a simple command-line tool that turns your CLI tools into web applications. It allows you to share your terminal as a web application, making it accessible through a web browser. This can be useful for remote access, demonstrations, or collaborative work.
Pros
- Easy to set up and use
- Provides secure access to terminal applications via web browsers
- Supports various authentication methods
- Cross-platform compatibility (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Cons
- Limited customization options for the web interface
- May have security implications if not properly configured
- Performance can be affected by network latency
- Not actively maintained (last commit was in 2021)
Getting Started
To get started with GoTTY, follow these steps:
-
Install GoTTY:
go install github.com/yudai/gotty@latest -
Run a command with GoTTY:
gotty [options] <command> [<arguments...>]For example, to share a bash session:
gotty bash -
Access the terminal in your web browser by navigating to
http://localhost:8080
For secure usage, consider adding authentication:
gotty --credential username:password bash
Remember to use HTTPS in production environments for secure communication.
Competitor Comparisons
Share your terminal over the web
Pros of ttyd
- Written in C, potentially offering better performance
- Supports client-side terminal emulation, reducing server load
- More actively maintained with recent updates
Cons of ttyd
- Requires more dependencies and may be more complex to set up
- Less cross-platform compatibility compared to GoTTY's Go-based approach
Code Comparison
GoTTY (JavaScript):
var term = new Terminal({
cols: 80,
rows: 24,
useStyle: true,
screenKeys: true,
});
ttyd (C):
struct tty_server *ts = calloc(1, sizeof(struct tty_server));
ts->credential = credential;
ts->command = command;
ts->argc = argc;
ts->argv = argv;
Both projects aim to share terminal sessions over the web, but they differ in implementation languages and approaches. GoTTY is written in Go and focuses on simplicity, while ttyd is written in C and offers more features at the cost of complexity. GoTTY may be easier to deploy across different platforms due to Go's cross-compilation capabilities, whereas ttyd might provide better performance in certain scenarios. The choice between the two depends on specific requirements, such as performance needs, ease of deployment, and desired features.
Share your terminal as a web application
Pros of GoTTY (sorenisanerd)
- More active development and maintenance
- Improved security features, including TLS support
- Better documentation and user guides
Cons of GoTTY (sorenisanerd)
- Potentially less stable due to ongoing changes
- May have compatibility issues with older systems or configurations
Code Comparison
GoTTY (yudai):
func (server *Server) Run(options *Options) error {
if err := server.validate(); err != nil {
return err
}
return server.serve()
}
GoTTY (sorenisanerd):
func (server *Server) Run(options *Options) error {
if err := server.validate(); err != nil {
return err
}
server.setupTLS()
return server.serve()
}
The main difference in the code snippets is the addition of server.setupTLS() in the sorenisanerd version, reflecting the improved security features.
Both GoTTY repositories provide web-based terminal access, but the sorenisanerd fork offers more recent updates and enhanced security. Users should consider their specific needs and system requirements when choosing between the two versions. The original yudai version may be more suitable for those requiring a stable, well-established solution, while the sorenisanerd fork is better for those seeking the latest features and security improvements.
:computer: make your ssh client smarter
Pros of assh
- Focused on SSH management and configuration, offering advanced SSH features
- Provides templating and includes support for better organization of SSH configs
- Lightweight and doesn't require running a separate server
Cons of assh
- Limited to SSH connections, unlike GoTTY which supports various terminal applications
- Doesn't offer a web-based interface for remote access
- May require more manual configuration compared to GoTTY's simpler setup
Code Comparison
assh configuration example:
hosts:
myserver:
Hostname: 192.168.1.1
User: admin
Port: 2222
GoTTY usage example:
gotty -w bash
Summary
assh is a powerful tool for managing SSH configurations, offering advanced features and better organization. However, it's limited to SSH connections and lacks a web interface. GoTTY, on the other hand, provides a web-based terminal for various applications but may not offer the same level of SSH-specific features. The choice between the two depends on whether you need specialized SSH management or a more general-purpose web terminal solution.
The easiest, and most secure way to access and protect all of your infrastructure.
Pros of Teleport
- More comprehensive security features, including SSO, RBAC, and audit logging
- Supports multiple protocols (SSH, Kubernetes, databases) beyond just web-based terminal access
- Designed for enterprise-scale deployments with clustering and high availability
Cons of Teleport
- More complex setup and configuration compared to GoTTY's simplicity
- Requires more resources to run due to its broader feature set
- May be overkill for simple terminal sharing use cases
Code Comparison
GoTTY (simple command to share a terminal):
gotty -w bash
Teleport (basic SSH server setup):
teleport:
nodename: example-node
data_dir: /var/lib/teleport
log:
output: stderr
severity: INFO
Summary
GoTTY is a lightweight tool for sharing terminal sessions over the web, while Teleport is a comprehensive access management platform for SSH, Kubernetes, and databases. GoTTY excels in simplicity and ease of use for basic terminal sharing, whereas Teleport offers robust security features and multi-protocol support for enterprise environments. The choice between the two depends on the specific use case and security requirements of the project.
🐛 Access your terminal from anywhere via the web.
Pros of rtty
- Written in C, potentially offering better performance and lower resource usage
- Supports reverse proxy mode, allowing access to devices behind NAT or firewalls
- Includes built-in SSL/TLS support for secure connections
Cons of rtty
- Less actively maintained compared to gotty (fewer recent updates)
- More complex setup and configuration process
- Limited cross-platform support (primarily focused on Linux/Unix systems)
Code Comparison
rtty (C):
static void on_ws_message(struct lws *wsi, enum lws_callback_reasons reason,
void *user, void *in, size_t len)
{
struct tty_client *client = (struct tty_client *)user;
// ... (handling WebSocket messages)
}
gotty (Go):
func (server *Server) handleWS(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
conn, err := server.upgrader.Upgrade(w, r, nil)
if err != nil {
return
}
defer conn.Close()
// ... (handling WebSocket connections)
}
Both projects aim to provide terminal access over the web, but rtty focuses on embedded systems and IoT devices, while gotty is more general-purpose and easier to set up for various environments. gotty has a larger community and more frequent updates, making it potentially more suitable for broader use cases. rtty's C implementation may offer performance benefits in resource-constrained scenarios.
Convert 
designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual CopilotREADME
GoTTY - Share your terminal as a web application
GoTTY is a simple command line tool that turns your CLI tools into web applications.
Installation
Download the latest stable binary file from the Releases page. Note that the release marked Pre-release is built for testing purpose, which can include unstable or breaking changes. Download a release marked Latest release for a stabale build.
(Files named with darwin_amd64 are for Mac OS X users)
Homebrew Installation
You can install GoTTY with Homebrew as well.
$ brew install yudai/gotty/gotty
go get Installation (Development)
If you have a Go language environment, you can install GoTTY with the go get command. However, this command builds a binary file from the latest master branch, which can include unstable or breaking changes. GoTTY requires go1.9 or later.
$ go get github.com/yudai/gotty
Usage
Usage: gotty [options] <command> [<arguments...>]
Run gotty with your preferred command as its arguments (e.g. gotty top).
By default, GoTTY starts a web server at port 8080. Open the URL on your web browser and you can see the running command as if it were running on your terminal.
Options
--address value, -a value IP address to listen (default: "0.0.0.0") [$GOTTY_ADDRESS]
--port value, -p value Port number to liten (default: "8080") [$GOTTY_PORT]
--permit-write, -w Permit clients to write to the TTY (BE CAREFUL) [$GOTTY_PERMIT_WRITE]
--credential value, -c value Credential for Basic Authentication (ex: user:pass, default disabled) [$GOTTY_CREDENTIAL]
--random-url, -r Add a random string to the URL [$GOTTY_RANDOM_URL]
--random-url-length value Random URL length (default: 8) [$GOTTY_RANDOM_URL_LENGTH]
--tls, -t Enable TLS/SSL [$GOTTY_TLS]
--tls-crt value TLS/SSL certificate file path (default: "~/.gotty.crt") [$GOTTY_TLS_CRT]
--tls-key value TLS/SSL key file path (default: "~/.gotty.key") [$GOTTY_TLS_KEY]
--tls-ca-crt value TLS/SSL CA certificate file for client certifications (default: "~/.gotty.ca.crt") [$GOTTY_TLS_CA_CRT]
--index value Custom index.html file [$GOTTY_INDEX]
--title-format value Title format of browser window (default: "{{ .command }}@{{ .hostname }}") [$GOTTY_TITLE_FORMAT]
--reconnect Enable reconnection [$GOTTY_RECONNECT]
--reconnect-time value Time to reconnect (default: 10) [$GOTTY_RECONNECT_TIME]
--max-connection value Maximum connection to gotty (default: 0) [$GOTTY_MAX_CONNECTION]
--once Accept only one client and exit on disconnection [$GOTTY_ONCE]
--timeout value Timeout seconds for waiting a client(0 to disable) (default: 0) [$GOTTY_TIMEOUT]
--permit-arguments Permit clients to send command line arguments in URL (e.g. http://example.com:8080/?arg=AAA&arg=BBB) [$GOTTY_PERMIT_ARGUMENTS]
--width value Static width of the screen, 0(default) means dynamically resize (default: 0) [$GOTTY_WIDTH]
--height value Static height of the screen, 0(default) means dynamically resize (default: 0) [$GOTTY_HEIGHT]
--ws-origin value A regular expression that matches origin URLs to be accepted by WebSocket. No cross origin requests are acceptable by default [$GOTTY_WS_ORIGIN]
--term value Terminal name to use on the browser, one of xterm or hterm. (default: "xterm") [$GOTTY_TERM]
--close-signal value Signal sent to the command process when gotty close it (default: SIGHUP) (default: 1) [$GOTTY_CLOSE_SIGNAL]
--close-timeout value Time in seconds to force kill process after client is disconnected (default: -1) (default: -1) [$GOTTY_CLOSE_TIMEOUT]
--config value Config file path (default: "~/.gotty") [$GOTTY_CONFIG]
--version, -v print the version
Config File
You can customize default options and your terminal (hterm) by providing a config file to the gotty command. GoTTY loads a profile file at ~/.gotty by default when it exists.
// Listen at port 9000 by default
port = "9000"
// Enable TSL/SSL by default
enable_tls = true
// hterm preferences
// Smaller font and a little bit bluer background color
preferences {
font_size = 5
background_color = "rgb(16, 16, 32)"
}
See the .gotty file in this repository for the list of configuration options.
Security Options
By default, GoTTY doesn't allow clients to send any keystrokes or commands except terminal window resizing. When you want to permit clients to write input to the TTY, add the -w option. However, accepting input from remote clients is dangerous for most commands. When you need interaction with the TTY for some reasons, consider starting GoTTY with tmux or GNU Screen and run your command on it (see "Sharing with Multiple Clients" section for detail).
To restrict client access, you can use the -c option to enable the basic authentication. With this option, clients need to input the specified username and password to connect to the GoTTY server. Note that the credentical will be transmitted between the server and clients in plain text. For more strict authentication, consider the SSL/TLS client certificate authentication described below.
The -r option is a little bit casualer way to restrict access. With this option, GoTTY generates a random URL so that only people who know the URL can get access to the server.
All traffic between the server and clients are NOT encrypted by default. When you send secret information through GoTTY, we strongly recommend you use the -t option which enables TLS/SSL on the session. By default, GoTTY loads the crt and key files placed at ~/.gotty.crt and ~/.gotty.key. You can overwrite these file paths with the --tls-crt and --tls-key options. When you need to generate a self-signed certification file, you can use the openssl command.
openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 9999 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout ~/.gotty.key -out ~/.gotty.crt
(NOTE: For Safari uses, see how to enable self-signed certificates for WebSockets when use self-signed certificates)
For additional security, you can use the SSL/TLS client certificate authentication by providing a CA certificate file to the --tls-ca-crt option (this option requires the -t or --tls to be set). This option requires all clients to send valid client certificates that are signed by the specified certification authority.
Sharing with Multiple Clients
GoTTY starts a new process with the given command when a new client connects to the server. This means users cannot share a single terminal with others by default. However, you can use terminal multiplexers for sharing a single process with multiple clients.
For example, you can start a new tmux session named gotty with top command by the command below.
$ gotty tmux new -A -s gotty top
This command doesn't allow clients to send keystrokes, however, you can attach the session from your local terminal and run operations like switching the mode of the top command. To connect to the tmux session from your terminal, you can use following command.
$ tmux new -A -s gotty
By using terminal multiplexers, you can have the control of your terminal and allow clients to just see your screen.
Quick Sharing on tmux
To share your current session with others by a shortcut key, you can add a line like below to your .tmux.conf.
# Start GoTTY in a new window with C-t
bind-key C-t new-window "gotty tmux attach -t `tmux display -p '#S'`"
Playing with Docker
When you want to create a jailed environment for each client, you can use Docker containers like following:
$ gotty -w docker run -it --rm busybox
Development
You can build a binary using the following commands. Windows is not supported now. go1.9 is required.
# Install tools
go get github.com/jteeuwen/go-bindata/...
go get github.com/tools/godep
# Build
make
To build the frontend part (JS files and other static files), you need npm.
Architecture
GoTTY uses xterm.js and hterm to run a JavaScript based terminal on web browsers. GoTTY itself provides a websocket server that simply relays output from the TTY to clients and receives input from clients and forwards it to the TTY. This hterm + websocket idea is inspired by Wetty.
Alternatives
Command line client
- gotty-client: If you want to connect to GoTTY server from your terminal
Terminal/SSH on Web Browsers
- Secure Shell (Chrome App): If you are a chrome user and need a "real" SSH client on your web browser, perhaps the Secure Shell app is what you want
- Wetty: Node based web terminal (SSH/login)
- ttyd: C port of GoTTY with CJK and IME support
Terminal Sharing
- tmate: Forked-Tmux based Terminal-Terminal sharing
- termshare: Terminal-Terminal sharing through a HTTP server
- tmux: Tmux itself also supports TTY sharing through SSH)
License
The MIT License
Top Related Projects
Convert designs to code with AI
Introducing Visual Copilot: A new AI model to turn Figma designs to high quality code using your components.
Try Visual Copilot