# openssh/openssh-portable

Portable OpenSSH

Repository: https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/openssh-portable
Language: C
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: c, security, login, file-sharing, cryptography, keychain
Last push: 2026-08-21T10:31:33+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 76/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4611, "days_push": 12, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 3970, forks 2156 (observed 2026-08-28T04:08:30.835266+00:00)

## What it is
Portable OpenSSH is a complete implementation of the SSH protocol version 2 for secure remote login, command execution, and file transfer. It provides the ssh client, sshd server, scp/sftp file transfer tools, and key management utilities like ssh-keygen and ssh-agent, ported to most Unix-like systems.

## Use cases
- securely log into remote servers over ssh
- transfer files between machines with scp or sftp
- generate and manage ssh keys
- run an ssh server for remote access
- set up passwordless authentication with ssh-agent
- tunnel traffic securely between hosts

## When to choose
- you need the standard, battle-tested SSH implementation on Linux, macOS, or other Unix-like systems
- you want secure remote shell access and file transfer with strong cryptography
- you need OS-native authentication integration such as PAM or FIDO security key support

## When to avoid
- you need an SSH library to embed in your own application rather than command-line tools
- you are on OpenBSD itself, where the original OpenSSH ships with the base system
- you need a pure-Python or high-level API for SSH automation

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: ssh, cryptography, security, file-system, cli
- domain: security, developer-tools, networking
- platform: bsd, windows, cli, cross-platform
- tags: ssh-client, ssh-server, scp, sftp, key-management, remote-login, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- openssh/openssh-portable (main) score 76

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:30.835266+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:24:22.210874+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/openssh/openssh-portable (fetched 2026-08-28T04:08:30.835266+00:00, sha 5706aa8da5eb)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.