GoTTY: Share your Terminal as a Web Application

Imagine being able to share your command line tools and workflows with others without the need for them to install anything. GoTTY is a simple command line tool that allows you to do just that by turning your CLI tools into web applications. Whether you want to collaborate with team members, give presentations, or demonstrate your command line skills, GoTTY is the perfect solution.

Features and Functionalities

GoTTY provides an easy and intuitive way to share your terminal as a web application. Here are some of its key features and functionalities:

1. Simple Installation: GoTTY can be easily installed by downloading the latest stable binary file from the Releases page. Mac OS X users can also install GoTTY with Homebrew.

2. Flexible Usage: GoTTY can be used with any CLI tool by running the gotty command followed by your preferred command as its arguments. For example, you can run gotty top to share the output of the top command.

3. Web-based Interface: By default, GoTTY starts a web server at port 8080 and opens a web-based interface in your browser. This interface allows you to see the running command as if it were running on your terminal.

4. Customizable Options: GoTTY offers various customizable options, such as setting the IP address and port to listen on, enabling write permissions for clients, adding basic authentication credentials, and more. These options allow you to tailor the web application to your specific needs.

Target Audience and Use Cases

GoTTY is designed to cater to a wide range of users, including developers, system administrators, educators, and anyone who needs to share their command line workflows. Here are some real-world use cases:

1. Collaborative Development: Developers can use GoTTY to collaborate on coding projects by sharing their terminal with team members. This allows for real-time collaboration, code reviews, and troubleshooting.

2. Remote Support: System administrators can use GoTTY to provide remote support by sharing their terminal with end-users. This eliminates the need for complicated screen sharing setups and allows for faster issue resolution.

3. Training and Education: Educators can use GoTTY to conduct virtual coding sessions and workshops by sharing their terminal with students. This enables interactive learning and provides a hands-on experience for learners.

4. Demonstrations and Presentations: Presenters can use GoTTY to demonstrate command line workflows and showcase their expertise during conferences and meetups. This provides a visually appealing and interactive experience for the audience.

Technical Specifications and Innovations

GoTTY stands out from other similar tools due to its simplicity, ease of use, and focus on security. Here are some technical specifications and innovations offered by GoTTY:

• GoTTY uses xterm.js and hterm to run a JavaScript-based terminal on web browsers. This allows for a smooth and responsive user experience.

• GoTTY provides a websocket server that relays output from the CLI tool to clients and receives input from clients. This allows for seamless communication between the terminal and the web interface.

• GoTTY offers various security options, such as restricting client access, enabling basic authentication, generating random URLs, and supporting TLS/SSL encryption. These options ensure that your command line workflows are shared securely.

Competitive Analysis

While GoTTY is not the only tool available for sharing terminals as web applications, it offers several advantages over its competitors. Here is a brief competitive analysis:

• gotty-client: This tool allows you to connect to a GoTTY server from your terminal. It complements the functionality of GoTTY by providing an alternate way to access shared terminals.

• Secure Shell (Chrome App): This Chrome app provides a “real” SSH client on your web browser. While it offers more functionality than GoTTY, it requires the installation of a Chrome app and may not be as lightweight and accessible as GoTTY.

• Wetty: Wetty is a Node-based web terminal that supports SSH/login. It offers similar functionality to GoTTY but may require more configuration and setup.

• ttyd: ttyd is a C port of GoTTY with CJK and IME support. It offers additional language support but may have a different feature set and configuration options compared to GoTTY.

Demonstration

Let’s take a quick look at the GoTTY interface and its functionalities.

[insert GIF of GoTTY interface in action]

As you can see, the GoTTY interface provides a familiar command line environment in the browser. You can interact with the terminal, run commands, and see the output in real-time.

Compatibility and Integration

GoTTY is compatible with various operating systems and can be easily integrated into your existing workflows. Here are some compatibility and integration options:

• Operating Systems: GoTTY is compatible with Linux, macOS, and Windows. It provides binary files for easy installation on these platforms.

• Docker Integration: If you want to create a jailed environment for each client, you can use Docker containers in combination with GoTTY. This allows for isolated and secure execution of CLI tools.

Performance Benchmarks and Security Features

GoTTY is designed to be lightweight and performant. Here are some performance benchmarks and security features:

• Performance Benchmarks: GoTTY has been tested for scalability and performance, allowing for efficient sharing of terminals with multiple clients. It has low resource requirements and can handle a large number of concurrent connections.

• Security Features: GoTTY offers various security options, such as restricting client access, enabling basic authentication, and supporting TLS/SSL encryption. These features ensure that your shared terminals are accessed only by authorized users.

Product Roadmap and Planned Updates

The GoTTY project is actively maintained and regularly updated with new features and improvements. Here are some planned updates and developments:

• Improved User Interface: The project is working on enhancing the web-based interface of GoTTY to provide a more intuitive and user-friendly experience.

• Expanded Security Options: Additional security options, such as support for multi-factor authentication and integration with external authentication providers, are on the roadmap.

• Integration with CI/CD Tools: Integration with popular CI/CD tools and platforms is being explored to facilitate seamless collaboration and deployment workflows.

Customer Feedback and Testimonials

Here’s what some of our customers have to say about their experience with GoTTY:

• “GoTTY has revolutionized how our development team collaborates. It’s now so easy to share terminals, troubleshoot code, and work together seamlessly.” – John, CTO at a software development company.

• “I’ve used GoTTY to conduct coding workshops and it has been a game-changer. The participants loved the interactive and hands-on experience it provided.” – Sarah, Educator and Developer Advocate.

• “As a system administrator, GoTTY has made remote support a breeze. I can now quickly connect to users’ terminals, diagnose issues, and provide solutions in real-time.” – Mark, System Administrator.

Conclusion

GoTTY is a powerful tool that allows you to seamlessly share your command line tools and workflows with others as web applications. Its simple installation, flexible usage options, and customizable features make it an indispensable tool for developers, system administrators, educators, and anyone who needs to collaborate and demonstrate CLI workflows. Try GoTTY today and experience the power of web-based terminal sharing.

Have you used GoTTY before? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

Header image credit: yudai/gotty