Always-On SSH Access with sshforward
Keeping a machine reachable over SSH is surprisingly hard. Connections drop, IPs change, power outages happen. The usual solutions — autossh, cron scripts, reverse SSH tunnels — all require ongoing maintenance and break in subtle ways.
sshforward replaces all of that with a single install command. It runs as a system service, reconnects automatically, and gives your machine a permanent name that never changes.
How It Works
1. Create a Free Account
Sign up at sshforward.net and pick a handle (e.g. alice).
2. Install on Your Machine
On the machine you want to keep reachable:
sudo sshforward.net install
The installer registers your machine, creates a system service, and starts the connection. Your machine gets a name based on its hostname — like devbox.alice. You can change it later in the dashboard.
3. Connect Whenever You Need To
From any computer:
sshforward.net connect devbox.alice
The machine is always there, always reachable, always at the same name.
What Makes It Always-On
System service. sshforward installs as a systemd service (or launchd on macOS). It starts on boot, runs in the background, and needs no user login or terminal session.
Automatic reconnection. If the network drops — Wi-Fi glitch, router restart, ISP outage — sshforward reconnects on its own as soon as connectivity returns. No intervention needed.
Survives reboots. Power outage? Kernel update? The service starts automatically after every reboot. No cron job to set up, no script to maintain.
Permanent name. Your machine gets a name like devbox.alice that never changes, regardless of IP changes, network switches, or reboots.
What This Replaces
autossh. autossh monitors an SSH connection and restarts it when it dies. But it doesn't survive reboots without extra setup, doesn't handle network changes gracefully, and requires a server with a public IP to connect to.
Reverse SSH tunnels with cron. A common pattern: set up a reverse tunnel in a cron job that checks every minute. Fragile, hard to debug, and still requires a public-facing server.
Dynamic DNS + port forwarding. Point a domain at your changing home IP and forward a port through your router. Breaks when your ISP uses CGNAT, requires router configuration, and exposes a port to the internet.
VPN servers. Running your own WireGuard or OpenVPN server gives you access, but requires a public IP, ongoing maintenance, and client configuration on every device you connect from.
sshforward handles all of this with a single command, no public IP needed.
Common Use Cases
- Remote development: Keep your powerful desktop reachable as a remote development machine from any laptop.
- Server administration: Maintain access to servers in locations you can't easily visit.
- Edge devices: Keep IoT devices, kiosks, or remote installations permanently reachable for maintenance.
- Personal machines: Always be able to reach your home or office computer, wherever you are.
Get Started
Install sshforward once and your machine stays reachable forever.
Create a free account to get started.