xxh: use your favorite shell through ssh

You stuffed command shell with aliases, tools and colors but you lose it all when using ssh. The mission of xxh is to bring your favorite shell wherever you go through the ssh without root access and system installations.

If you like the idea of xxh click :star: on the repo and stay tuned.

Installation methods

PyPi 3

pip3 install xxh-xxh

Homebrew

brew install python3 && pip3 install xxh-xxh

Linux portable binary

mkdir ~/xxh && cd ~/xxh
wget https://github.com/xxh/xxh-portable/raw/master/result/xxh-portable-musl-alpine-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz
tar -xzf xxh-portable-musl-alpine-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz
./xxh

AppImage

mkdir ~/xxh && cd ~/xxh
wget -O xxh https://github.com/xxh/xxh-appimage/releases/download/continuous/xxh-release-x86_64.AppImage
chmod +x xxh && ./xxh

Shells

Currently supported OS is Linux on x86_64.

Search xxh shell on Github or Bitbucket or create your shell entrypoint to use another portable shell.

Prerun plugins

Prerun plugins allow to bring any portable tools, dotfiles, aliases to xxh session before running shell.

Pinned plugins: sudo , dotfiles , docker , python , xxh , vim .

Usage

Use xxh as replace ssh to connecting to the host without changing ssh arguments:

xxh <host from ~/.ssh/config>
xxh [ssh arguments] [user@]host[:port] [xxh arguments]
xxh local [xxh arguments]

Common examples (use xxh --help to get info about arguments):

xxh anyhost                                       # connect to the host
xxh -i id_rsa -p 2222 anyhost                     # using ssh arguments: port and key
xxh anyhost +s zsh                                # set the shell
xxh anyhost +s xonsh +hhh "~"                     # set /home/user as home directory (read Q&A)
xxh anyhost +s bash +I xxh-plugin-bash-vim        # preinstall the plugin
xxh anyhost +if +q                                # install without questions in quiet mode
xxh anyhost +hh /tmp/xxh +hhr                     # upload xxh to /tmp/xxh and remove when disconnect 
source xxh.zsh anyhost +I xxh-plugin-zsh-ohmyzsh  # connect in seamless mode with ohmyzsh plugin
xxh local +s xonsh                                # build xxh environment on localhost

To reusing arguments and simplifying xxh usage to xxh anyhost there is config file .

Install xxh packages

xxh [+I xxh-package +I ...] [+L] [+RI xxh-package +RI ...] [+R xxh-package +R ...]

Different ways to set the xxh package source:

xxh +I xxh-shell-example                                         # install from https://github.com/xxh
xxh +I https://github.com/xxh/xxh-shell-example                  # short url for github only, for other sources use examples below or add support
xxh +I https://github.com/xxh/xxh-shell-example/tree/mybranch    # short url for github only, for other sources use examples below or add support
xxh +I xxh-shell-example+git+https://github.com/xxh/xxh-shell-example                 # long url for any git repo
xxh +I xxh-shell-example+git+https://github.com/xxh/xxh-shell-example/tree/mybranch   # github only branch support
xxh +I xxh-shell-example+path+/home/user/my-xxh-dev/xxh-shell-example                 # install from local path

Using xxh inplace without ssh connection

If you have a shell access on the host or you're in docker container and you can't ssh to it then you can download and build hermetic xxh environment inplace. The xxh local command works exectly like xxh remote_host and creates hermetic environment in ~/.xxh by default.

At this time we haven't portable build tools like git , wget , curl , tar and others which could be required by xxh packages build scripts. The xxh local expects the tools are on host.

To run xxh inplace on Linux x86_64 just copy and paste this bash commands:

XH=~/.xxh \
 && XD=https://github.com/xxh/xxh-portable/raw/master/result/xxh-portable-musl-alpine-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz \
 && mkdir -p $XH && cd $XH \
 && ( [[ -x $(command -v curl) ]] && curl -L $XD || wget -O- $XD ) | tar zxf - xxh \
 && echo 'Usage: ./xxh local [+s xonsh/zsh/fish/osquery/bash]'

Next time you're on host just run ~/.xxh/xxh local and you will be in your xxh environment.

Examples of use cases

Python with pip everywhere without installation

Way 1. Using xonsh

xxh anyhost +s xonsh

anyhost> python --version
Python 3.8.2

You'll get python-powered xonsh shell with portable python and pip on the host without any system installations on the host. Add plugins: autojump saves time, pipeliner manipulates lines and bar looks nice.

Way 2. Using portable python on any xxh shell

xxh +RI xxh-plugin-prerun-python
xxh anyhost +s zsh

anyhost> python --version
Python 3.8.2
anyhost> pip install pandas

Using xxh-plugin-prerun-python you'll get portable Python AppImage which can be used on host without python and with any xxh shell.

Using docker on host without root access

Try xxh-plugin-prerun-docker :

xxh +RI xxh-plugin-prerun-docker
xxh anyhost +if

anyhost> xxh-docker-run
anyhost> docker ps                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               COMMAND
anyhost> docker run --rm hello-world | grep Hello
Hello from Docker!
anyhost> xxh-docker-stop

Bring dotfiles to xxh session

There is xxh-plugin-prerun-dotfiles which creates config files when you go to the host using xxh. You can fork it and create your cozy settings once and forever.

Seamless Oh My Zsh ( demo )

source xxh.zsh anyhost +I xxh-plugin-zsh-ohmyzsh +if +q

This command brings your current Oh My Zsh session theme to the xxh session. If you need more complex settings just fork the xxh-plugin-zsh-ohmyzsh and hack it.

Read host as a table with osquery

$ xxh anyhost +s osquery
osquery> SELECT * FROM users WHERE username='news';
+-----+-----+----------+-------------+-----------------+-------------------+
| uid | gid | username | description | directory       | shell             |
+-----+-----+----------+-------------+-----------------+-------------------+
| 9   | 9   | news     | news        | /var/spool/news | /usr/sbin/nologin |
+-----+-----+----------+-------------+-----------------+-------------------+

All in one portable home

The xxh is very agile. You can create your own xxh-shell (shell word means it has entrypoint) which has any portable tools that you could help you on the host. Bash xxh-shell is one of this platforms that could be forked and stuffed.

Questions and answers

• Welcome to xxh family
  • How it works
    • Simple answer
    • Detailed workflow with code
  • Plugins
  • Connection speed
  • Seamless mode
  • Config file
• Packages for xxh
  • Install shells and plugins
• Advanced
  • How to set /home/user as home on host
  • Using sudo
  • Using xxh in xxh session
  • Target host is behind another host
  • Environment variables
• Development and contribution
  • The easiest way to debug shell and plugins
  • Prerun plugins
  • Change plugin run order
• New questions

Development

In the xxh-dev repo there is full dockerised environment for development, testing and contribution. The process of testing and development is orchestrated by xde tool and as easy as possible.

We have teams.If you're in team it does not oblige to do something. The main goal of teams is to create group of passionate people who could help or support in complex questions. Some people could be expert in one shell and newbie in another shell and mutual assistance is the key to xxh evolution. Ask join.

Thanks

• niess for great linuxdeploy-plugin-python
• probonopd and TheAssassin for hard-working AppImage
• Roman Perepelitsa for incredible statically-linked, hermetic, relocatable Zsh
• Anthony Scopatz , Gil Forsyth , Jamie Bliss , David Strobach , Morten Enemark Lund and @xore for amazing xonsh shell
• Johannes Altmanninger and Fabian Homborg for extensive and portable fish shell