Ncurses SSH Access Proxy

An Ncurses SSH Access Proxy is the leanest way to run secure, interactive SSH workflows through a text-based UI. It gives you the control of SSH and the speed of a CLI menu without exposing keys or opening your network to direct traffic. Built with Ncurses, it renders a fast, responsive interface over SSH that can route users to only the systems they’re cleared to touch.

At its core, an Ncurses SSH Access Proxy sits between your users and your servers. It authenticates each session, lists approved targets, and launches proxied SSH connections that can be logged and monitored. This design keeps credentials off client machines and keeps your firewall tight. System-wide access can be gated by role, source IP, or any other rule you enforce in the proxy layer.

Keys never leave the proxy. Bastion policies run here, not on every machine. If you revoke a user, the proxy simply stops offering them any destinations. The UI built with Ncurses runs clean in any terminal—no browser, no GUI overhead, no lag. Lightweight code paths mean minimal attack surface.

You can extend an Ncurses SSH Access Proxy with audit logging, MFA prompts, and session recording. Integration with PAM or LDAP allows central account control. Routing logic can load from a config file or pull dynamically from an API. Operations teams can deploy the proxy on a hardened host and keep SSH daemons unreachable from the public internet.

This pattern scales. Whether you connect dozens or thousands of hosts, the workflow stays the same: users SSH to the proxy, see a Ncurses menu, select a host, and the proxy links them in. No direct access. No stray credentials. Complete visibility over who did what, and when.

Done right, it’s faster than managing SSH access lists across the fleet, and safer than distributing private keys.

See how to spin up a secure Ncurses SSH Access Proxy with role-based routing and auditing, running on hoop.dev—live in minutes, no compromises.