Getting started
DR-Terminal is an SSH/SFTP client for Android, Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and iOS. Below is the shortest path to a working shell.
Quick Connect — one-off session
- From the sidebar pick Quick Connect (SSH).
- Enter
user,host,port(default 22). - Choose auth: password or private key. (Security-key auth — YubiKey/FIDO2 — is available on saved connections, see Authentication.)
- Press Connect. On first use you'll see the host key fingerprint — confirming adds it to your trusted hosts.
Quick Connect sessions are one-off, but when you return from the terminal the app offers to save the host — accepting adds it to the SSH Connections list.
Saved connection
- Sidebar → SSH Connections → Add.
- Fill name (alias), host, port, user, auth method.
- Optionally assign a group, set a default SFTP directory, add a start script, or pick a jump host.
- Save. The row appears on the list — tap to open a terminal.
First connection and host trust
The first time you reach an unknown server DR-Terminal shows a dialog with the host's public key fingerprint (SHA-256). After confirming, the key is stored in the trusted hosts database and verified on later logins. If it ever changes, you'll get a clear warning — worth checking why (planned rebuild, new install, MITM attempt).
More than SSH
DR-Terminal is a workspace, not just one shell. The same window also hosts:
- SFTP file browsing on any saved host (see SFTP).
- A dual-pane file manager for copying between local and remote (see File manager).
- Telnet sessions for routers, lab gear and classic BBSes (see Telnet).
- A local terminal and serial/UART sessions on Desktop (see Local & serial).
Every session is a tab — switch, rename, or (on Desktop) tear one off into its own window. A tab's context menu can also restart the session: a full reconnect in place, keeping the tab and its settings.
Where your password goes
Passwords and private keys never land in JSON config files. Each platform uses its native secure store: Android Keystore (EncryptedSharedPreferences), iOS Keychain, and an AES-256-GCM file on Desktop. Details in Security & data.