The Termphin manual
How to connect to your servers, keep sessions alive, move files and make the terminal your own.
Termphin is an SSH client. It connects to machines you already run: a VPS, a Raspberry Pi, a computer at home or at work. Once connected, Termphin gives you their shell, their files and port forwarding.
What makes Termphin different? The Termphin agent - a small helper it uploads to the server over SSH - keeps your session alive when the connection drops. Lock the phone, lose signal, come back - the shell is still there. Keys, passwords and machines are stored encrypted on the device. Nothing is uploaded to Termphin. And it is completely free.
New to SSH? Start with How SSH works. Have a server already? Go to Your first connection. No server yet? See No server yet?. Press / to search the manual at any time.
Getting started
- Your first connectionAdd a machine, sign in and accept its host key - from a fresh install to a working shell.
- No server yet?Where to get a machine to connect to - your own computer, a Raspberry Pi or a cloud server.
- The terminalTyping, special keys, selecting and pasting, autocomplete and moving between sessions.
SSH basics
- How SSH worksThe few ideas behind every SSH connection: address, port, user, sign-in and host keys.
- Turn on SSH on a computerEnable the SSH server on Linux, a Raspberry Pi, macOS or Windows, and find the address to connect to.
- SSH keys explainedWhat a key pair is, how to make one in Termphin, and how to put the public half on Linux, macOS or Windows servers.
- Security basicsA short checklist that keeps an SSH server and your phone safe.
Machines
- Managing machinesAdd, edit, organise and delete machines, and what each part of the machine form does.
- Keys in TermphinThe Keys tab: generate, import, copy, organise and delete SSH keys.
- Host keysHow Termphin makes sure a server is the one you think it is, and what to do when its key changes.
- Two-factor sign-inWhat happens when a server asks for a one-time code or another answer while you sign in.
- Jump hostsReach a machine that is only reachable through another one - OpenSSH ProxyJump, with saved machines.
- Port forwardingOpen a database, web dashboard or any service through an SSH tunnel - saved on a machine or just for one session.
- GroupsSort machines, keys and snippets into coloured groups.
Sessions
- The Termphin agentHow sessions survive a dropped connection, what runs on your server, and how to manage sessions left running.
- Tabs and split screenRun several sessions at once, switch between them and show two side by side.
- ReconnectingWhat Termphin does when the connection drops, and what the connection indicators mean.
Files
- The SFTP browserBrowse, create, rename and delete files on the server, on the same connection as the terminal.
- Downloads and uploadsCopy files and folders between the phone and the server, and upload straight into a session with Fast upload.
- Editing filesOpen a file from the server in the built-in editor, find and replace, and save it back.
Productivity
- SnippetsSave commands you run often, fill in values each time, and run them on several machines at once.
- Key toolbarThe extra keys above the keyboard - Esc, Tab, Ctrl, arrows - and how to arrange your own.
- Action dockThe floating button over the terminal with quick actions - and how to choose which ones.
Settings and data
- Terminal appearanceColour scheme, font, cursor and the other terminal settings, with a live preview.
- App lockProtect Termphin with a PIN and fingerprint or face unlock.
- Backup and restoreExport machines, keys, snippets and settings to a file, and bring them back on this or another device.
- PrivacyWhat stays on your device, what analytics are sent if you allow them, and hiding hosts for screenshots.