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Product Overview

SSH Teams helps you manage secure server access without handing out permanent SSH keys. You set the rules in one place, and SSH Teams issues short-lived access passes automatically when someone connects.

This guide explains what SSH Teams is for and how it works at a high level. If you’re already familiar with the idea, feel free to skip ahead to installation.

What Problem Does SSH Teams Solve?

Most teams start out by copying SSH keys onto every server. That works when it’s small, but it quickly becomes a mess.

Common headaches include:

  • Keys never expire, so old access lingers forever.
  • When someone leaves, you have to remove their key from every server.
  • Servers end up with different rules over time.
  • It’s hard to tell who can access what.

SSH Teams solves this by replacing long-lived keys with short-lived certificates. You control access from one central place, and every server follows the same rules.

How It Works at a Glance

Think of SSH Teams as three simple pieces working together:

  • The web app. This is where you manage teams, users, servers, and access rules.
  • The join scripts and CLI. These help you add servers and register user devices.
  • Trust on each server. Once a server is joined, it trusts certificates issued by your team and enforces your rules locally.

In other words, the control center is centralized, but the actual access decision still happens on the server itself.

Who Can Do What

SSH Teams uses simple roles to control what people can manage:

  • Admin: Full control over the system.
  • User: Can connect to servers they have access to.
  • Manage Servers: Can add and manage joined servers.
  • Manage Policies: Can create and edit access rules.
  • Manage Users: Can invite and manage team members.

Most everyday users only need the User role. Team leads and operations staff usually get one or more of the management roles.

Typical Setup Flow

Here’s what getting started usually looks like:

  1. Install SSH Teams and run first-time setup.
  2. Create your team and your first admin account.
  3. Join the servers you want to protect.
  4. Create access rules that say who can connect, to what, and when.
  5. Add users and help them register their laptops or workstations.
  6. Users connect normally. SSH Teams issues them a short-lived access pass behind the scenes.
  7. Review and adjust your rules as your team grows.

Who This Guide Is For

This overview is helpful if you are:

  • A platform engineer evaluating SSH access tools.
  • A security team member reviewing short-lived certificate controls.
  • An operations lead planning how to roll this out.

Ready to install? Move on to Install with Docker.

Want a quick command reference instead? Try the Power-User Cheatsheet.

Looking for definitions of terms? See the Glossary.