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Export - From WebSSH to an ssh_config File

When you need to get all your connections out of WebSSH, for example to reuse them with OpenSSH on another machine or in another SSH client, you can use the "webssh export" command line inside mashREPL.

Since WebSSH 24
  • This tool has been introduced in version 24 of WebSSH (#252).
  • Feel free to contact me if you have any question or suggestion.
The other way around

To load an existing ssh_config file into WebSSH, see Import - From Other SSH Clients to WebSSH.

To : ssh_config

  1. Launch WebSSH
  2. Start a mashREPL instance (Tools > mashREPL)
  3. Type the following command line (dry run) : 
    webssh export sshconfig

The dry run lists every connection that would be exported, and the ones that are bypassed (no host, or no user defined), without writing anything.

If you want to write the file, without any dry run, you can use the following command line : 

webssh export sshconfig --apply

The file is written as ssh_config in the WebSSH documents folder (~ inside mashREPL). You can display it, to copy it from the terminal, with : 

cat ~/ssh_config

You can also choose the destination file : 

webssh export sshconfig --apply --to-file my_config_file

Where is the exported file?

The exported file is in the WebSSH documents folder :

  • on iPhone / iPad, in the Files app : On My iPhone (or On My iPad) > WebSSH > ssh_config
  • on the Mac, in the app container : ~/Library/Containers/com.itimeteo.webssh/Data/Documents/ssh_config (Finder > Go > Go to Folder…)

What is exported?

Every connection with the SSH, SFTP or SERVER role, and with both a host and a user, gives one Host block :

# homelab
Host homelab
    Hostname 192.168.1.10
    User myuser
    Port 2222

# My Awesome Server
Host my.host.com
    Hostname my.host.com
    User myuser
    Port 22
  • Hostname, User and Port are exported ; the connection name is kept as a comment above the block
  • The Host alias is the connection name when it is a simple word (letters, digits, ., -, _), so you can type ssh homelab right away. A name with spaces or symbols, a name already used by a previous connection, or no name at all, gives the hostname as alias1
  • Passwords, private keys and passphrases are never exported : the file only holds how to reach your servers, not how to authenticate
  • Telnet connections are not part of an ssh_config file and are skipped

  1. Before WebSSH 33.3 the alias was always the hostname, whatever the connection name. ↩

Last update: October 31, 2026