autossh

Autossh is a command line tool used for automatically establishing and maintaining secure shell (SSH) connections. It is particularly useful in scenarios where we need to maintain a stable and reliable SSH tunnel or connection, even in cases of intermittent network disruptions or when the connection drops unexpectedly.

Typically, when an SSH connection is terminated, we would need to manually reconnect and reconfigure the tunnel. However, autossh helps automate this process by monitoring the SSH connection and automatically attempting to reconnect when necessary.

Autossh achieves this by running an instance of SSH in the background and actively monitoring the connection. If the connection drops, autossh will immediately initiate a new connection, using the same parameters specified in the initial SSH command. It can be configured to utilize specific ports, forward local or remote ports, and handle other SSH options like keys or passwords.

In addition to providing the automatic connection management functionality, autossh also includes features such as connection monitoring, keep-alive probes, and the ability to handle multiple connections simultaneously.

Overall, autossh is a useful tool for ensuring the resilience and continuous operation of SSH connections, making it a popular choice for scenarios like remote system administration, tunneling, or establishing secure communication channels.