OxideTerm
Zero Electron. Zero OpenSSL. Pure Rust SSH.
One native binary — local shells, SSH, SFTP, remote IDE, AI, port forwarding, plugins, 30+ themes, 11 languages.
THE DIFFERENCE
Why OxideTerm?
Real problems, real solutions.
| The Problem | OxideTerm's Answer |
|---|---|
| SSH clients that can't do local shells | Hybrid engine — local PTY (zsh/bash/fish/pwsh/WSL2) + remote SSH in one window |
| Reconnect = lose everything | Grace Period reconnect — probes old connection for 30s before killing it. Your vim, htop, yazi survive |
| Remote file editing needs VS Code Remote | Built-in IDE — CodeMirror 6 over SFTP with 30+ languages, optional ~1 MB remote agent |
| No SSH connection reuse | Multiplexing — one SSH connection shared across terminal, SFTP, forwarding, and IDE |
| SSH libraries depend on OpenSSL | russh 0.54 — pure Rust SSH compiled against ring. Zero C dependencies |
| 100+ MB Electron apps | Tauri 2.0 — 25–40 MB binary. Not a wrapper — genuine native app with Rust backend |
| AI locked to one provider | OxideSens — 40+ autonomous tools, MCP protocol, RAG knowledge base. Works with any API |
LIVE DEMO
Watch It in Action
OxideSens AI opens a local terminal and runs a command — fully autonomous, fully integrated.
DEEP DIVE
Everything You Need, Nothing You Don't
Terminal
- Split panes with broadcast input to all sessions
- WebGL rendering at 60fps+ with 120Hz burst mode
- Session recording & playback (asciicast v2)
- 31+ themes with a full CSS variable custom theme editor
- Command palette (⌘K) and zen mode
- Configurable keyboard shortcuts with vi-mode support
- Auto-complete for SSH hostnames and saved sessions
SFTP File Manager
- Dual-pane browser with drag-and-drop
- Smart preview: images, video, audio, code, PDF, hex, fonts
- Transfer queue with real-time progress & ETA
- Bookmarks and archive extraction
- Rename, chmod, chown with batch operations
- Watch mode with auto-upload on local changes
Built-in IDE
- CodeMirror 6 with 30+ language modes
- File tree with Git status indicators
- Multi-tab editing with conflict resolution
- Optional ~1 MB remote agent (Linux, 10+ architectures)
- Search & replace with regex across remote files
- Syntax highlighting for 30+ languages: Rust, Python, JS/TS, Go, C/C++, Java, YAML, JSON, TOML, Markdown, Shell, and more
OxideSens AI
- Inline panel (⌘I) + sidebar chat
- 40+ autonomous tools with MCP protocol
- RAG knowledge base (BM25 + vector hybrid search)
- Multi-source context capture: terminal, IDE, SFTP, Git
- Bring your own key — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or any compatible endpoint
Port Forwarding
- Local (-L), Remote (-R), Dynamic SOCKS5 (-D)
- Lock-free message-passing I/O
- Auto-restore all forwards on reconnect
- Death reporting and idle timeout
- Real-time bandwidth and latency monitoring
ZERO TRUST
Security First
Enterprise-grade protection without enterprise complexity.
High-Strength Encryption
ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD with Argon2id KDF (256 MB memory, 4 iterations) for .oxide encrypted exports.
OS Keychain Integration
Passwords and API keys stored in macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, or Linux Secret Service. Never in config files.
Pure Rust Cryptography
russh 0.54 with ring crypto backend. Ed25519, RSA, ECDSA keys. ChaCha20-Poly1305 and AES-GCM cipher suites.
Biometric & TOFU
Touch ID gates keychain access on macOS. Host key verification with Trust-On-First-Use (TOFU). Sensitive memory zeroized on drop.
Memory Zeroization
All sensitive data — passwords, keys, decrypted payloads — is securely erased from memory via the zeroize crate. Drop handlers guarantee no lingering secrets.
Single-Use WS Tokens
Each WebSocket bridge receives a unique, single-use token with a time limit. Prevents replay attacks and unauthorized session hijacking.
ARCHITECTURE
Under the Hood
Dual-Plane Architecture
WebSocket binary frames for terminal I/O, Tauri IPC for control commands. Each session gets dedicated bandwidth.
WebGL Rendering
GPU-accelerated terminal via xterm.js 6. Adaptive scheduler: 120Hz+ burst, 60Hz normal, 1–15Hz idle backoff.
Connection Multiplexing
One SSH connection shared across terminal, SFTP, forwarding, and IDE. Reference-counted pool with automatic cleanup.
High-Strength Encryption
ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD with Argon2id KDF (256 MB memory, 4 iterations). OS keychain for passwords, Touch ID gate on macOS.
11 Languages
Full UI translation across 22 namespaces: English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Français, Deutsch, Español, Italiano, Português, Tiếng Việt.
Plugin Ecosystem
Runtime ESM loading with 18 API namespaces, 24 pre-built UI components, frozen API contract, and circuit breaker auto-disable.
FROM THE CREATOR
OxideTerm wasn't built to fill a market gap — it was built to challenge the boundary between terminal performance and capability. Pure-Rust SSH with zero C dependencies. A custom binary wire protocol with no JSON serialization in the hot path. ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption backed by Argon2id at 256 MB memory cost. Every architectural decision reflects one obsession: never trade correctness for convenience.
COMPARE
How Does OxideTerm Compare?
A factual look at what different approaches to terminal tooling offer.
| Capability | OxideTerm | Electron-based | Traditional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binary Size | 25–40 MB | 100+ MB | Varies |
| SSH Implementation | Pure Rust (ring crypto, zero C deps) | Typically OpenSSL / libssh2 | System SSL or built-in |
| Local Terminal | ✓ | Partial | — |
| Built-in SFTP | ✓ | Partial | Partial |
| Remote Code Editing | ✓ | — | — |
| AI with Terminal Context | ✓ | — | — |
| Graceful Reconnect (Session Preservation) | ✓ | — | — |
| Connection Multiplexing | ✓ | — | Partial |
| Plugin System | ✓ | — | Partial |
| Multi-language UI | ✓ | Partial | Partial |
| Open Source | ✓ | Varies | — |
| Free to Use | ✓ | Varies | Varies |
Comparison reflects general category trends, not any specific product. Individual tools within each category may differ.
COMMAND LINE
CLI Companion
Meet oxt — your terminal wingman.
JSON-RPC 2.0 over Unix Socket (macOS/Linux) or Named Pipe (Windows). Human-friendly and machine-parseable output.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OxideTerm free?
Which SSH authentication methods are supported?
Where is my data stored?
Can I use OxideTerm offline?
What do I need for AI features?
Why doesn't OxideTerm use libssh2 or OpenSSL?
COMPLIANCE
Compliance & Legal
OxideTerm is designed for legitimate system administration, development, and research. We take compliance seriously.
Network Compliance
OxideTerm is a professional remote server management and terminal emulation tool. This software is intended solely for compliant system administration, network management, software development, and academic research. Users must strictly comply with all applicable laws and regulations when using SSH tunneling or port forwarding features. Any use of this software for unauthorized access to restricted resources or violation of cybersecurity regulations is strictly prohibited.
AI Service Disclaimer
The AI-assisted features provided by OxideTerm (such as command completion and log analysis) function as technical integration tools. AI conversation history is stored locally on the user's device using encrypted storage and is never uploaded to any server. The software does not distribute AI-generated content to third parties. Users are responsible for configuring their own third-party AI service API credentials and bear ultimate legal responsibility for the resulting interactions. We recommend using these features in compliance with all applicable AI governance regulations in your jurisdiction.
Data Security & Privacy
We understand the sensitivity of operational data. OxideTerm adopts a Local-First architecture. All server credentials, keys, and configuration files are encrypted and stored exclusively on the user's local device using high-strength encryption algorithms. This software does not collect, upload, or disclose any sensitive connection data to third parties.
License
This software is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). Users may freely use, modify, and distribute the source code. Any derivative work must also be distributed under the same license.
This page is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Users are responsible for ensuring their use of OxideTerm complies with all applicable local and international laws.
GET STARTED
Download OxideTerm
Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Requires macOS 10.15+, Windows 10+, or Linux (glibc 2.31+)
View all releases on GitHub →