electerm
Free, open-source desktop app for connecting to remote machines via SSH, SFTP, Telnet, serial and more.
- Stars
- 15.5k
- Forks
- 1.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- JavaScript
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
electerm is a desktop terminal and remote-connection client. It lets you open shells and transfer files to other computers over SSH, SFTP, FTP and Telnet, and the README also lists serial port, RDP, VNC and Spice connections. It is published for Linux, macOS, Windows, Android, HarmonyOS and iOS, and it is MIT-licensed.
- Open SSH sessions to several servers and organize them as bookmarks
- Transfer files with SFTP or FTP from the same window as your terminal
- Connect through an SSH tunnel or a chain of hops to reach internal machines
- Connect to a serial device or a Telnet host for hardware or legacy equipment
- Open connections quickly from links such as ssh://user@host:22
Great for
- Developers and sysadmins who manage several remote servers and want one client for them
- People who want an open-source alternative to a commercial SSH client
- Users who need file transfer (SFTP/FTP) alongside their terminal sessions
- Users on older or less common Linux distributions, which the README says are supported
Not ideal for
- People who only need a basic terminal on their own machine, since the many remote protocols and sync features add complexity
- Users who want a tiny, minimal tool, because the feature list is broad
- Users who need a commercially supported product with a guaranteed support contract; the README describes no such support tier
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
Mac (Homebrew)
brew install --cask electermLinux (Snap)
sudo snap install electerm --classicWindows (winget)
winget install electerm.electermnpm (global)
npm i -g electerm - 2
Run it
- Install electerm using the command for your operating system
- Open electerm from your applications menu or launcher
- Create a new connection or bookmark with the host, username and authentication method
- Connect and open a terminal or SFTP session to the remote machine
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use bookmarks to save and organize frequently used servers
- Enable sync to GitHub, Gitee, WebDAV or a custom server to keep bookmarks across machines (the README lists these options)
- Use the global hotkey (default ctrl + 2) to show or hide the window quickly
- Set up quick commands or triggers to automate repeated tasks
- Use deep links or the command line to open connections directly (see the linked wiki pages)
Downloads
Strengths
- Covers many connection types (SSH, SFTP, FTP, Telnet, serial, RDP, VNC, Spice) in one app
- Free and open source under the MIT license, with builds for many operating systems
- Runs on a wide range of platforms, including older Windows and Linux versions according to the README
Trade-offs
- The README covers a very large feature set, so some features may be less polished or harder to find than the core SSH and SFTP functions
- Some Linux packages (rpm, deb, snap) may not work on every distribution, and the README suggests trying the tar.gz or AppImage release instead
- Some AI and sync features depend on third-party services or accounts, which the README links to but does not fully explain here
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electerm (this) | 15.5k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers and sysadmins who manage several remote servers and want one client for them |
| tabby | 75.3k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Developers who keep many SSH sessions open and want them saved and organized |
| upterm | 19k | App | intermediate | 7.5 years ago | Developers who want to try an Electron-based terminal with autocompletion |
| rclone | 60.7k | CLI | intermediate | 5 days ago | People comfortable using a terminal who need to move files between cloud providers |
| xterm.js | 21.3k | Library | intermediate | 7 days ago | Developers building a browser-based IDE or cloud workspace that needs an integrated terminal |
| vscode | 194k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.