What is ssh-chat used for?

ssh-chat is a custom SSH server written in Go that gives connecting users a chat room prompt instead of a shell. It is a good fit for terminal-only community chat rooms and private chat for developers on a server.

Is ssh-chat open source?

Yes. ssh-chat is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at shazow/ssh-chat and is written mainly in Go.

Yes. ssh-chat is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host ssh-chat?

Yes. ssh-chat can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to ssh-chat?

Similar open-source tools in the Team Chat category include Teamgram, Mattermost and Campfire. SaaS products in the same category include Kik, Troop Messenger and Beeper.

Is ssh-chat actively maintained?

The most recent commit to ssh-chat was on 10 January 2026, and the latest release is v1.10, published on 3 August 2020. The project has 5.9k stars on GitHub.

ssh-chat: open-source team chat

About ssh-chat

ssh-chat is a small SSH server that, instead of opening a shell, drops each connecting user into a chat prompt. People join with a plain ssh client, so there is no app or account sign-up to install; anyone with a terminal can take part. The author runs a public demo server and publishes its host key so visitors can check they are connecting to the right machine.

The project is written in Go and distributed as a portable binary. Releases include builds for macOS and Linux (x86, amd64 and ARM, which covers Raspberry Pi), or you can compile it with make build, which requires Go 1.8 or newer. To bind to port 22 you need to move other SSH daemons off that port and run it with root privileges. A Makefile supports development and an optional profiling server.

ssh-chat is MIT licensed, with a code of conduct for its public chat, and answers to common questions are on the project wiki. Deploy examples are provided for people who want to host their own room, which suits small communities and hobby projects.

Key features

Chat over any standard SSH client
Single portable Go binary
Prebuilt macOS and Linux releases
Public demo server with published host key
Deploy examples and FAQ wiki

Good fit for

→Terminal-only community chat rooms
→Private chat for developers on a server

Built with: Go
Tags: ssh; chat; golang; terminal; self-hosted; server; messaging

ssh-chat: questions and answers

What is ssh-chat used for?: ssh-chat is a custom SSH server written in Go that gives connecting users a chat room prompt instead of a shell. It is a good fit for terminal-only community chat rooms and private chat for developers on a server.
Is ssh-chat open source?: Yes. ssh-chat is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at shazow/ssh-chat and is written mainly in Go.
Is ssh-chat free?: Yes. ssh-chat is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host ssh-chat?: Yes. ssh-chat can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to ssh-chat?: Similar open-source tools in the Team Chat category include Teamgram, Mattermost and Campfire. SaaS products in the same category include Kik, Troop Messenger and Beeper.
Is ssh-chat actively maintained?: The most recent commit to ssh-chat was on 10 January 2026, and the latest release is v1.10, published on 3 August 2020. The project has 5.9k stars on GitHub.