# ssh2-config

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Developed by @veeso

Current version: 0.5.4 (27/03/2025)

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--- - [ssh2-config](#ssh2-config) - [About ssh2-config](#about-ssh2-config) - [Exposed attributes](#exposed-attributes) - [Missing features](#missing-features) - [Get started ๐Ÿš€](#get-started-) - [Reading unsupported fields](#reading-unsupported-fields) - [How host parameters are resolved](#how-host-parameters-are-resolved) - [Resolvers examples](#resolvers-examples) - [Configuring default algorithms](#configuring-default-algorithms) - [Examples](#examples) - [Support the developer โ˜•](#support-the-developer-) - [Contributing and issues ๐Ÿค๐Ÿป](#contributing-and-issues-) - [Changelog โณ](#changelog-) - [License ๐Ÿ“ƒ](#license-) --- ## About ssh2-config ssh2-config a library which provides a parser for the SSH configuration file, to be used in pair with the [ssh2](https://github.com/alexcrichton/ssh2-rs) crate. This library provides a method to parse the configuration file and returns the configuration parsed into a structure. The `SshConfig` structure provides all the attributes which **can** be used to configure the **ssh2 Session** and to resolve the host, port and username. Once the configuration has been parsed you can use the `query(&str)` method to query configuration for a certain host, based on the configured patterns. Even if many attributes are not exposed, since not supported, there is anyway a validation of the configuration, so invalid configuration will result in a parsing error. ### Exposed attributes - **BindAddress**: you can use this attribute to bind the socket to a certain address - **BindInterface**: you can use this attribute to bind the socket to a certain network interface - **CASignatureAlgorithms**: you can use this attribute to handle CA certificates - **CertificateFile**: you can use this attribute to parse the certificate file in case is necessary - **Ciphers**: you can use this attribute to set preferred methods with the session method `session.method_pref(MethodType::CryptCs, ...)` and `session.method_pref(MethodType::CryptSc, ...)` - **Compression**: you can use this attribute to set whether compression is enabled with `session.set_compress(value)` - **ConnectionAttempts**: you can use this attribute to cycle over connect in order to retry - **ConnectTimeout**: you can use this attribute to set the connection timeout for the socket - **HostName**: you can use this attribute to get the real name of the host to connect to - **IdentityFile**: you can use this attribute to set the keys to try when connecting to remote host. - **KexAlgorithms**: you can use this attribute to configure Key exchange methods with `session.method_pref(MethodType::Kex, algos.to_string().as_str())` - **MACs**: you can use this attribute to configure the MAC algos with `session.method_pref(MethodType::MacCs, algos..to_string().as_str())` and `session.method_pref(MethodType::MacSc, algos..to_string().as_str())` - **Port**: you can use this attribute to resolve the port to connect to - **PubkeyAuthentication**: you can use this attribute to set whether to use the pubkey authentication - **RemoteForward**: you can use this method to implement port forwarding with `session.channel_forward_listen()` - **ServerAliveInterval**: you can use this method to implement keep alive message interval - **TcpKeepAlive**: you can use this method to tell whether to send keep alive message - **UseKeychain**: (macos only) used to tell whether to use keychain to decrypt ssh keys - **User**: you can use this method to resolve the user to use to log in as ### Missing features - [Match patterns](http://man.openbsd.org/OpenBSD-current/man5/ssh_config.5#Match) (Host patterns are supported!!!) - [Tokens](http://man.openbsd.org/OpenBSD-current/man5/ssh_config.5#TOKENS) --- ## Get started ๐Ÿš€ First of all, add ssh2-config to your dependencies ```toml [dependencies] ssh2-config = "^0.5" ``` then parse the configuration ```rust use ssh2_config::{ParseRule, SshConfig}; use std::fs::File; use std::io::BufReader; let mut reader = BufReader::new(File::open(config_path).expect("Could not open configuration file")); let config = SshConfig::default().parse(&mut reader, ParseRule::STRICT).expect("Failed to parse configuration"); // Query attributes for a certain host let params = config.query("192.168.1.2"); ``` then you can use the parsed parameters to configure the session: ```rust use ssh2::Session; use ssh2_config::{HostParams}; fn configure_session(session: &mut Session, params: &HostParams) { if let Some(compress) = params.compression { session.set_compress(compress); } if params.tcp_keep_alive.unwrap_or(false) && params.server_alive_interval.is_some() { let interval = params.server_alive_interval.unwrap().as_secs() as u32; session.set_keepalive(true, interval); } // KEX if let Err(err) = session.method_pref( MethodType::Kex, params.kex_algorithms.algorithms().join(",").as_str(), ) { panic!("Could not set KEX algorithms: {}", err); } // host key if let Err(err) = session.method_pref( MethodType::HostKey, params.host_key_algorithms.algorithms().join(",").as_str(), ) { panic!("Could not set host key algorithms: {}", err); } // ciphers if let Err(err) = session.method_pref( MethodType::CryptCs, params.ciphers.algorithms().join(",").as_str(), ) { panic!("Could not set crypt algorithms (client-server): {}", err); } if let Err(err) = session.method_pref( MethodType::CryptSc, params.ciphers.algorithms().join(",").as_str(), ) { panic!("Could not set crypt algorithms (server-client): {}", err); } // mac if let Err(err) = session.method_pref( MethodType::MacCs, params.mac.algorithms().join(",").as_str(), ) { panic!("Could not set MAC algorithms (client-server): {}", err); } if let Err(err) = session.method_pref( MethodType::MacSc, params.mac.algorithms().join(",").as_str(), ) { panic!("Could not set MAC algorithms (server-client): {}", err); } } fn auth_with_rsakey( session: &mut Session, params: &HostParams, username: &str, password: Option<&str> ) { for identity_file in params.identity_file.unwrap_or_default().iter() { if let Ok(_) = session.userauth_pubkey_file(username, None, identity_file, password) { break; } } } ``` ### Reading unsupported fields As outlined above, ssh2-config does not support all parameters available in the man page of the SSH configuration file. If you require these fields you may still access them through the `unsupported_fields` field on the `HostParams` structure like this: ```rust use ssh2_config::{ParseRule, SshConfig}; use std::fs::File; use std::io::BufReader; let mut reader = BufReader::new(File::open(config_path).expect("Could not open configuration file")); let config = SshConfig::default().parse(&mut reader, ParseRule::ALLOW_UNSUPPORTED_FIELDS).expect("Failed to parse configuration"); // Query attributes for a certain host let params = config.query("192.168.1.2"); let forwards = params.unsupported_fields.get("dynamicforward"); ``` --- ## How host parameters are resolved This topic has been debated a lot over the years, so finally since 0.5 this has been fixed to follow the official ssh configuration file rules, as described in the MAN . > Unless noted otherwise, for each parameter, the first obtained value will be used. The configuration files contain sections separated by Host specifications, and that section is only applied for hosts that match one of the patterns given in the specification. The matched host name is usually the one given on the command line (see the CanonicalizeHostname option for exceptions). > > Since the first obtained value for each parameter is used, more host-specific declarations should be given near the beginning of the file, and general defaults at the end. This means that: 1. The first obtained value parsing the configuration top-down will be used 2. Host specific rules ARE not overriding default ones if they are not the first obtained value 3. If you want to achieve default values to be less specific than host specific ones, you should put the default values at the end of the configuration file using `Host *`. 4. Algorithms, so `KexAlgorithms`, `Ciphers`, `MACs` and `HostKeyAlgorithms` use a different resolvers which supports appending, excluding and heading insertions, as described in the man page at ciphers: . They are in case appended to default algorithms, which are either fetched from the openssh source code or set with a constructor. See [configuring default algorithms](#configuring-default-algorithms) for more information. ### Resolvers examples ```ssh Compression yes Host 192.168.1.1 Compression no ``` If we get rules for `192.168.1.1`, compression will be `yes`, because it's the first obtained value. ```ssh Host 192.168.1.1 Compression no Host * Compression yes ``` If we get rules for `192.168.1.1`, compression will be `no`, because it's the first obtained value. If we get rules for `172.168.1.1`, compression will be `yes`, because it's the first obtained value MATCHING the host rule. ```ssh Host 192.168.1.1 Ciphers +c ``` If we get rules for `192.168.1.1`, ciphers will be `a,b,c`, because default is set to `a,b` and `+c` means append `c` to the list. --- ## Configuring default algorithms To reload algos, build ssh2-config with `RELOAD_SSH_ALGO` env variable set. When you invoke `SshConfig::default`, the default algorithms are set from openssh source code, which are the following: ```txt ca_signature_algorithms: "ssh-ed25519", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521", "sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512", "rsa-sha2-256", ciphers: "chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com", "aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr", "aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com", host_key_algorithms: "ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521-cert-v01@openssh.com", "sk-ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512-cert-v01@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ssh-ed25519", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521", "sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512", "rsa-sha2-256", kex_algorithms: "sntrup761x25519-sha512", "sntrup761x25519-sha512@openssh.com", "mlkem768x25519-sha256", "curve25519-sha256", "curve25519-sha256@libssh.org", "ecdh-sha2-nistp256", "ecdh-sha2-nistp384", "ecdh-sha2-nistp521", "diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256", "diffie-hellman-group16-sha512", "diffie-hellman-group18-sha512", "diffie-hellman-group14-sha256", "ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521-cert-v01@openssh.com", "sk-ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512-cert-v01@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ssh-ed25519", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521", "sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512", "rsa-sha2-256", "chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com", "aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr", "aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com", "chacha20-poly1305@openssh.com", "aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr", "aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com", "umac-64-etm@openssh.com", "umac-128-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com", "umac-64@openssh.com", "umac-128@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-256", "hmac-sha2-512", "hmac-sha1", "umac-64-etm@openssh.com", "umac-128-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com", "umac-64@openssh.com", "umac-128@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-256", "hmac-sha2-512", "hmac-sha1", "none,zlib@openssh.com", "none,zlib@openssh.com", mac: "umac-64-etm@openssh.com", "umac-128-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com", "hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com", "umac-64@openssh.com", "umac-128@openssh.com", "hmac-sha2-256", "hmac-sha2-512", "hmac-sha1", pubkey_accepted_algorithms: "ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521-cert-v01@openssh.com", "sk-ssh-ed25519-cert-v01@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512-cert-v01@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-256-cert-v01@openssh.com", "ssh-ed25519", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp256", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp384", "ecdsa-sha2-nistp521", "sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com", "sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com", "rsa-sha2-512", "rsa-sha2-256", ``` If you want you can use a custom constructor `SshConfig::default().default_algorithms(prefs)` to set your own default algorithms. --- ### Examples You can view a working examples of an implementation of ssh2-config with ssh2 in the examples folder at [client.rs](examples/client.rs). You can run the example with ```sh cargo run --example client -- [config-file-path] ``` --- ## Support the developer โ˜• If you like ssh2-config and you're grateful for the work I've done, please consider a little donation ๐Ÿฅณ You can make a donation with one of these platforms: [![ko-fi](https://img.shields.io/badge/Ko--fi-F16061?style=for-the-badge&logo=ko-fi&logoColor=white)](https://ko-fi.com/veeso) [![PayPal](https://img.shields.io/badge/PayPal-00457C?style=for-the-badge&logo=paypal&logoColor=white)](https://www.paypal.me/chrisintin) --- ## Contributing and issues ๐Ÿค๐Ÿป Contributions, bug reports, new features and questions are welcome! ๐Ÿ˜‰ If you have any question or concern, or you want to suggest a new feature, or you want just want to improve ssh2-config, feel free to open an issue or a PR. Please follow [our contributing guidelines](CONTRIBUTING.md) --- ## Changelog โณ View ssh2-config's changelog [HERE](CHANGELOG.md) --- ## License ๐Ÿ“ƒ ssh2-config is licensed under the MIT license. You can read the entire license [HERE](LICENSE)