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 ⭐ on the repo or ☕️ buy me a coffee.

Demo

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.

xxh-shell	status	seamless	plugins	demo
xonsh-appimage	stable	xxh.xsh	pipeliner, bar, autojump, [+]
zsh	stable	xxh.zsh	ohmyzsh, p10k, [+]
fish	stable	todo	ohmyfish, fisher, userconfig, [+]
bash-zero	prestable	xxh.bash	ohmybash, [+]
osquery	beta
fish-appimage	alpha

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: mc, docker, python, vim, xxh.

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]

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

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

To reusing arguments and simplifying xxh usage to xxh myhost 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

The ideas behind xxh

Portable. Preparing portable shells and plugins occurs locally and then xxh uploads the result to host. No installations or root access on the host required. The security and careful about environment on the host are behind it.

Careful. No blindfold copying config files from local to remote host. Following the privacy and repeatability reasons the better way is to fork the xxh plugin or shell example and pack your config to it.

Hermetic. If you delete ~/.xxh directory from the remote host then xxh has never been on the host. By default your home is .xxh directory and you can choose the hermetic level of your xxh session.

Be open and fork-ready. Every repo could be forked, customized and reused without waiting for package management system, xxh releases or any third party. Currently supported five shells and the count could be grow by community.

Do more. The xxh packages are not only about shells. Any type of tool or code could be behind entrypoint. If you want to play Super Mario on the remote host just put it as entrypoint.

Examples of use cases

Python with pip everywhere without installation

Way 1. Using xonsh

xxh myhost +s xonsh-appimage

myhost> 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 myhost +s zsh

myhost> python --version
Python 3.8.2
myhost> 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 myhost +if

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

Put the cozy configs to xxh session

For example there is xxh-plugin-prerun-mc which creates Midnight Commander (mc) config when you go to the host using xxh. You can fork it and create your cozy settings for mc once and forever.

Oh My Zsh seamless SSH (demo)

source xxh.zsh myhost +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 myhost +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-zero xxh-shell is one of this platforms that could be forked and stuffed.

Questions and answers

• Start
  • How it works?
    • Simple answer
    • Detailed workflow with code
  • How to set /home/user as home instead of /home/user/.xxh?
  • What about speed?
  • What is seamless mode?
  • What is config file?
• Packages for xxh
  • How I can install xxh packages (shells or plugins)?
  • What is xxh plugin?
  • What is xxh prerun plugin?
  • How to change pluginrc run order to run some plugin before others?
• Advanced questions
  • What if my host_internal can be reached only from my host_external?
  • How to add environment variables list?
• Development and contribution
  • What is the easiest way to debug shell and plugins?
• I have a new question!

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