dosh/README.md

Dosh

Dosh is an encrypted remote terminal for fast reconnecting shells.

It runs a dosh-server on a Unix-like host and a dosh client on macOS, Linux, or Windows. Setup can use SSH, then Dosh connects over encrypted UDP, keeps sessions alive across disconnects, supports terminal apps, and can carry TCP forwarding, file copy, and VS Code Remote-SSH streams.

Support

• Client: macOS, Linux, Windows
• Server: Linux and other Unix-like systems with PTYs
• Default UDP port: 50000
• Windows: client only

Dosh is meant to replace Mosh and everyday interactive SSH sessions. It does not currently include SFTP, X11 forwarding, or a Windows server.

Install

Unix/macOS server and client:

curl -fsSL https://git.palav.dev/Palav/dosh/raw/branch/main/install.sh | sh -s -- both --repo https://git.palav.dev/Palav/dosh.git --port 50000

Unix/macOS client only:

curl -fsSL https://git.palav.dev/Palav/dosh/raw/branch/main/install.sh | sh -s -- client --repo https://git.palav.dev/Palav/dosh.git

Windows client:

irm https://git.palav.dev/Palav/dosh/raw/branch/main/install.ps1 | iex

Use

dosh setup HOST
dosh HOST
dosh HOST COMMAND
dosh update
dosh update --client|--server|--both

Useful commands:

dosh exec HOST COMMAND
dosh cp SRC DST
dosh ls host:path
dosh cat host:path
dosh mkdir host:path
dosh rm [-r] host:path
dosh forward HOST -L 8080:127.0.0.1:80
dosh forward HOST -D 1080
dosh forward HOST -R 2222:127.0.0.1:22
dosh status HOST
dosh doctor HOST
dosh recover HOST
dosh restart HOST

Agent forwarding is opt-in with -A and must also be enabled on the server. File copy must be enabled by the server config.

Tracing

For terminal/reconnect bugs, run a client with:

DOSH_TRACE=/tmp/dosh-client.log DOSH_TRACE_BYTES=1 dosh HOST

Set DOSH_TRACE=/tmp/dosh-server.log on dosh-server for matching server events. DOSH_TRACE_BYTES=1 records byte prefixes, so use it only for short reproductions.

VS Code

Dosh can carry VS Code Remote-SSH through its transport:

dosh vscode setup HOST
dosh vscode HOST /remote/path

This creates a managed SSH config entry using ProxyCommand dosh proxy-stdio. VS Code still uses Remote-SSH and its normal remote server; Dosh carries the SSH byte stream.

Config

~/.config/dosh/client.toml
~/.config/dosh/hosts.toml
~/.config/dosh/server.toml

Common client settings:

default_session = "new"
predict = true
cache_attach_tickets = true
disconnect_status = true

Example host entry:

[prod]
ssh = "prod"
ssh_config = "prod" # OpenSSH alias for IdentityFile, ProxyJump, SendEnv, etc.
dosh_host = "prod.example.com"
port = 50000

ProxyJump and ProxyCommand can be used for SSH setup, but the Dosh UDP endpoint still has to be reachable directly from the client. Set dosh_host to the reachable UDP hostname or IP when it differs from the SSH alias target.

Rust Library

Dosh exposes a Rust transport for encrypted, reconnecting application streams. Use dosh::client::DoshClient and dosh::server::DoshServer for the normal native-auth path. Use dosh::transport::DoshTransport only when you already own session setup and authentication.

Runnable examples:

examples/sdk_echo_client.rs
examples/sdk_echo_server.rs