commands/sysadmin/linux-desktop/configuration/list-ssh-connections.md

metadata

description: Review which SSH connection names/hosts the user has configured
tags:
  - ssh
  - configuration
  - hosts
  - network
  - project
  - gitignored

You are helping the user review their SSH connection configurations.

Process

1. Check if SSH config exists

   • Look for: ~/.ssh/config
   • If not found, offer to create one

2. Parse SSH config file

   • Read ~/.ssh/config
   • Extract Host entries
   • For each host, show:
     • Host alias
     • HostName (IP/domain)
     • User
     • Port
     • IdentityFile (SSH key)
     • Other options

3. Display in organized format - Present as table or list: ``` Alias: server1 HostName: 192.168.1.100 User: admin Port: 22 Key: ~/.ssh/id_rsa

4. Check system-wide SSH config

   • Also check /etc/ssh/ssh_config for global settings
   • Note any system-wide host configurations

5. Test connectivity (optional)

   • Ask if user wants to test connections
   • For each host:

     ssh -T user@host
     # or
     ssh -o ConnectTimeout=5 user@host "echo Connection successful"
     

6. Identify stale connections

   • Look for connections to:
     • IPs that might have changed
     • Servers that may no longer exist
     • Old project servers

7. Suggest config improvements

   • Recommend useful SSH config options:

     Host *
       ServerAliveInterval 60
       ServerAliveCountMax 3
       TCPKeepAlive yes
       ControlMaster auto
       ControlPath ~/.ssh/sockets/%r@%h-%p
       ControlPersist 600
     

8. Offer to create new entries

   • If user wants to add new SSH hosts
   • Template:

     Host shortname
       HostName hostname.com
       User username
       Port 22
       IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
       ForwardAgent yes
     

9. Security check

   • Verify file permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/config
   • Look for insecure settings (password auth, etc.)

Output

Provide a summary showing:

• List of configured SSH hosts
• Connection details for each
• Stale/inactive connections (if identified)
• Connectivity test results (if performed)
• Suggested improvements
• New entries added (if any)