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Protocols

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Mehdi edited this page Sep 3, 2026 · 3 revisions

Protocols

Besides SSH, SSH Pilot can open other connection types through built-in protocol plugins. Create them from the connection editor by choosing a Protocol, then fill in the fields for that type.

Creating a Non-SSH Connection

  1. Click + in the sidebar (or press Ctrl+Shift+N / Cmd+N on macOS)
  2. In the connection editor, open the Protocol dropdown
  3. Select Telnet, Serial, Mosh, Docker/Podman, or Kubernetes
  4. Fill in the protocol-specific fields and a display name
  5. Click Save

SSH-only tabs (Forwarding, Proxy, and many Advanced options) hide automatically for non-SSH protocols.

Telnet

Plain Telnet sessions for devices and legacy hosts that still speak Telnet.

Typical fields:

  • Hostname / address
  • Port (often 23)

Use only on trusted networks -- Telnet is not encrypted.

Serial

Local serial console sessions (USB-serial adapters, BMC consoles, etc.).

Typical fields:

  • Device -- path such as /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0
  • Baud rate -- e.g. 115200

SSH Pilot uses tools available on your system (such as picocom or screen) to open the port.

Mosh

Mosh (Mobile Shell) is useful on unreliable or roaming networks. It bootstraps over SSH, then keeps a UDP session that survives IP changes and brief disconnects.

Requirements:

  • mosh client on your machine
  • mosh-server on the remote host
  • Working SSH access to start the session

Fill in the usual host/user details; Mosh uses SSH to launch the server side.

Docker / Podman

Opens an interactive shell inside a running container with docker exec or podman exec (not the full Docker Console GUI).

Typical fields:

  • Container -- name or ID (required)
  • Command -- shell to run (default sh)
  • Runtime -- docker or podman
  • Daemon host (advanced) -- e.g. ssh://user@host or tcp://host:2375
  • User / Working directory (advanced)

Requires the chosen runtime on the machine where the command runs.

Kubernetes

Opens a shell in a pod with kubectl exec.

Typical fields:

  • Pod (required)
  • Container -- optional; default container if omitted
  • Namespace
  • Context / Kubeconfig
  • Command -- default sh

Requires kubectl configured for your cluster.

Docker Console vs Docker Protocol

Docker Console Docker/Podman protocol
What it is Management GUI for Local or SSH hosts (containers, images, logs, compose) A saved connection that execs into one container
Where Tools menu / connection right-click / host picker (Local or SSH) Connection editor → Protocol
Default Disabled until you enable the plugin Protocol plugin on by default

See Docker Console for the console, and Plugins to enable it.

Tips

  • Keep protocol plugins enabled only if you use them -- disable unused ones in Settings > Plugins
  • Non-SSH connections still appear in the sidebar, groups, Omni-search, and start page pins
  • File manager, key copy, and many SSH-only actions stay hidden for protocols that do not support them

Next Steps

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