# shazow/ssh-chat

Chat over SSH.

Repository: https://github.com/shazow/ssh-chat
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ssh-chat
Homepage: https://shazow.net/posts/ssh-how-does-it-even/
Language: Go
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: ssh-chat, ssh, chat, server
Last push: 2026-01-10T02:23:23+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 50/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 61, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4285, "days_push": 236, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 5909, forks 427 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:32.163772+00:00)

## What it is
ssh-chat is a custom SSH server written in Go that replaces the shell with a chat prompt, so users connect via ssh and land in a chat room. It supports public key authentication, admin keys, allowlists, MOTD, and chat logging.

## Use cases
- host a chat room accessible over ssh
- chat from the terminal without installing a client
- run a self-hosted chat server with key-based auth
- give a raspberry pi a fun ssh chat service
- replace a shell with a chat prompt on a server

## When to choose
- you want zero-client chat that works with any ssh binary
- you prefer key-based authentication and simple single-binary deployment
- you want a lightweight, self-hosted terminal chat server

## When to avoid
- you need rich media, threads, or persistent history like Slack or Discord
- you need a web or mobile chat interface
- you need large-scale multi-room chat with moderation tooling

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: chat-interface, http-server, auth, ssh
- domain: messaging-platforms, self-hosted, developer-tools
- platform: go, cli, self-hosted, cross-platform
- tags: ssh-server, chat-server, terminal-chat, go, irc-alternative, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- shazow/ssh-chat (main) score 50

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:32.163772+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 2026-08-29T17:51:17.443851+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/shazow/ssh-chat (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:32.163772+00:00, sha c45e4ce5c7b7)
  - homepage: https://shazow.net/posts/ssh-how-does-it-even/ (fetched 2026-08-29T08:46:43.018378+00:00, sha b52e384fa0b3)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.