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Using the Command-Line Tool

Run commands, open shells, and attach local forwards from the terminal.

Overview

ssh-client accepts the destination in user@host[:port] form, followed by an optional remote command. When the command is omitted, the tool opens an interactive shell and restores the local terminal when the remote shell exits.

Local port forwarding is supplied with one or more -L options in [bind_address:]port:host:hostport form. The tool starts each listener before opening the session so forwarding can accompany either a remote command or an interactive shell.

Examples

Open an interactive shell:

ssh-client user@example.com

Run a command:

ssh-client user@example.com uname -a

Run multiple forwards and then open a shell:

ssh-client -L 8080:web.internal:80 -L 5432:db.internal:5432 user@example.com