SSH Menu (sshm)

A standalone Bash script providing an interactive SSH menu for connecting to hosts defined in your ~/.ssh/config. The script, sshm.sh, parses SSH configurations, validates environment prerequisites, and presents a user-friendly selection interface—all in a single file.

-- Small, simple, and effective! Out of all the scripts I have written, this is the one I use the most. It is a single file that works on both macOS and Linux. It is a great way to quickly SSH into servers without having to remember their hostnames or IP addresses.

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Table of Contents

1. Features

2. Prerequisites

3. Installation

4. Configuration

5. Usage

   • Interactive Mode
   • Display Config (-d / --display)

6. Script Details

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Features

• Parses your ~/.ssh/config to list known hosts.
• Interactive menu to select and SSH into a host.
• Option to display the entire SSH config.
• Single-file implementation for easy installation.
• Cross-platform support (Linux & macOS).

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Prerequisites

• Operating System: macOS or Linux (requires Bash).
• SSH: Ensure the ssh command is installed and available in your $PATH.
• Permissions: Read/write access to your SSH config file (~/.ssh/config).

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Installation

1. Clone this repository or download the script:

   git clone https://github.com/yousefabuz17/SSHMenu.git
   cd sshm

2. Ensure the script is executable:

   chmod +x sshm.sh

3. (Optional) Move it to a directory in your $PATH, e.g.:

   mv sshm.sh /usr/local/bin/sshm

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Configuration

The script relies on your SSH configuration file located at ${HOME}/.ssh/config. A sample entry in the config:

Example `~/.ssh/config` entry

Host myserver
    HostName server.example.com
    User gituser
    Port 22
    .....

Host anotherserver
    HostName another.example.com
    User anotheruser
    Port 2222
    .....

Multiple Host entries can be defined; each will appear as a menu option.

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Usage

Interactive Mode

Run the script without arguments to see an interactive menu:

1. The script checks your OS, SSH binary, and the SSH config file.
2. It parses the ~/.ssh/config and lists all known hosts.
3. Select a host by its number.
4. The script connects via ssh <host>.
5. Upon exit, the menu is re-displayed.

./sshm.sh
# or if installed globally
sshm


Select a server to SSH into:
1) Root-Centos7-Linux  4) Root-MacbookPro     7) Kali-Linux
2) Root-Kali-Linux     5) Root-Rocky-Linux    8) MacbookPro-MeshNet
3) Rocky-Linux         6) MacbookPro          9) Centos7-Linux
Server #: <number>

# After selecting a server, it will connect via SSH while requesting your password if necessary.

Display Config (-d / --display)

To print the contents of your SSH config and exit:

./sshm.sh -d
# or
./sshm.sh --display

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Script Details

The sshm.sh script includes all helper functions inline:

• Environment Checks:

  • check_machine() — Ensures OS is darwin (macOS) or linux.
  • check_ssh() — Verifies the ssh binary is available.
  • ssh_config() — Confirms that ~/.ssh/config exists and is readable.

• Config Parsing:

  • parse_config() — Reads SSH_CONFIG_FILE, extracts Host entries into an array.

• Menu & Arguments:

  • parse_arguments() — Handles -d/--display flag.
  • sshMenu() — Displays an interactive prompt (using select) to choose a host.

• Main Flow:

  1. parse_arguments "$@" to check for display mode.
  2. If display flagged, show config and exit.
  3. Otherwise, run sshMenu.

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