Tessera - SSH Terminal

Tessera is a fast, keyboard-first SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iPhone and iPad. It connects directly to servers you own or control — no middleman, no account, no tracking.

  MOVE BETWEEN YOUR DEVICES
  • Hand off a live session: start on iPad, pick it up on iPhone, then double-tap to take back control. The session keeps running either way.
  • Your focused session appears in the App Switcher and Dock on your other devices.
  • Nearby Setup copies your hosts, keys, and preferences to a new device directly over the local network — you choose exactly what to copy, both devices confirm a matching code, and each grant needs Face ID.
  • Or don't sync at all: choose whether sessions follow you or stay on each device.

  STAY CONNECTED
  • First-class tmux integration: auto-attach on connect, so a dropped connection never loses your work.
  • Native tmux windows as tabs, with real panes.
  • Mosh keeps your session alive across Wi-Fi ↔ cellular roaming and sleep/wake — pick up exactly where you left off.
  • Session restore brings your saved hosts and layout back after relaunch.

  BUILT FOR TOUCH AND KEYBOARD
  • First-class hardware-keyboard support: shortcuts, a key legend (⌘ hold), and careful handling of modifier keys for real terminal work.
  • A configurable swipe pad puts arrows, Esc, Ctrl and your own macros in the thumb zone.
  • Mouse and trackpad support, including scrolling that works.
  • Find-in-terminal, themes, and adjustable fonts and appearance.
  • Optional on-device dictation straight into the terminal.

  FILES, PORTS, AND JUMP HOSTS
  • A remote file panel that tracks your shell's current directory, over SSH and mosh alike — with native iOS sharing to move files and images in and out.
  • Local port forwarding with a live tunnels overview.
  • Jump hosts for servers you can only reach through a bastion.

  PRIVATE BY DEFAULT
  • Tessera has no servers, no analytics, and collects no data. Connections go directly from your iOS devices to your machines.

  SECURITY YOU EXPECT
  • Keys are generated and stored in the iOS Keychain; Secure Enclave–backed keys never leave your device and can require Face ID to use.
  • Host-key verification with a persistent known-hosts store.
  • App lock with Face ID / passcode on launch, background return, and idle timeout.

  OPEN SOURCE
  • Tessera is free software (GPL-3.0). The full source code is available at github.com/bambouville/tessera.

  Tessera requires servers you provide — it is a client, not a hosting service. Mosh and tmux features require mosh/tmux installed on the server.