ServerCommander – The Ultimate SSH & FTP/SFTP Client

Overview

ServerCommander is a powerful terminal-based client for SSH, FTP, and SFTP, enabling secure and efficient management of local and remote servers.

It features a colorized console, stable connections, and practical file transfer and server management functionalities – all packaged as a standalone executable for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Features

Feature	Description
Interactive shell	Built-in command dispatcher with contextual help and graceful shutdown handling.
Session management	Persist SSH/SFTP/FTP endpoints in the user configuration directory for effortless reuse.
SSH connectivity	Launch interactive shells or run one-off commands through the system ssh client.
SFTP file operations	Upload, download, and list remote files via the sftp client with friendly output.
FTP/FTPS support	Native passive-mode FTP client with optional explicit TLS for secure transfers.
Secure authentication	Supports password and private-key based authentication (keys are never stored).
Structured logging	Execution traces are written to ~/.config/servercommander/logs/servercommander.log.
Cross-platform	Designed for Windows, macOS, and Linux with no CGO dependencies.

Installation & Build

Prerequisites

• Go (version 1.16 or higher)
• Git
• SSH client, FTP/SFTP client (optional)

Build Process

ServerCommander can be compiled for each operating system:

Windows (.exe)

go build -o "build/ServerCommander.exe" ./src/main.go

Linux (.bin)

go build -o "build/ServerCommander" ./src/main.go

macOS (.app / .bin)

go build -o "build/ServerCommander.app" ./src/main.go

After building, run the executable:

./server-commander

Usage

Run the binary and use the interactive prompt:

./server-commander

Key commands inside the shell:

Command	Description
session add <alias>	Create or update a stored session (you will be guided through the fields).
session list	Display all saved sessions.
session show <alias>	Show session details.
session remove <alias>	Delete a stored session.
connect <alias>	Start an interactive SSH shell for the given session.
ssh exec <alias> <command>	Execute a single command via SSH and print the output.
sftp list <alias> [remote-path]	List remote files using SFTP.
sftp upload <alias> <local> <remote>	Upload a file via SFTP.
sftp download <alias> <remote> <local>	Download a file via SFTP.
ftp list <alias> [remote-path]	List remote files using the built-in FTP client.
ftp upload <alias> <local> <remote>	Upload a file via FTP/FTPS.
ftp download <alias> <remote> <local>	Download a file via FTP/FTPS.
help	Print the command catalogue.
clear	Clear the terminal and reprint the banner.
htop	Launch htop with the ServerCommander theme (falls back to PowerShell monitor on Windows).
exit	Gracefully shut down ServerCommander.

Note: When prompted for the authentication method during session add, enter password or private_key. Passwords are never stored—if you choose password you will be asked for it when connecting.

Requirements

• Go 1.20+ for building (the module targets Go 1.23).
• OpenSSH client tools (ssh and sftp) available in PATH for SSH/SFTP features.
• Remote FTP servers must allow passive connections when using the FTP client.
• Password prompts in the interactive shell are echoed. Prefer SSH keys or run the system tools directly if hidden input is required.

Architecture & Implementation

• Programming Language: Go
• Command layer: Custom dispatcher with pluggable command registration.
• Session storage: JSON file stored under ~/.config/servercommander/sessions.json.
• SSH/SFTP: Delegates to the system OpenSSH tooling for reliability and feature parity.
• FTP/FTPS: In-house passive-mode client supporting optional explicit TLS.
• Logging: Structured text logs in the user configuration directory.

Conclusion

ServerCommander is a alternative to PuTTY, but with integrated FTP/SFTP support and packaged as a standalone executable for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is perfect for system administrators and developers who need a fast and efficient server management tool.