hivessh

HiveSsh

HiveSsh is an innovative library designed to streamline SSH2 connections and simplify task execution on Linux servers.

It wraps around the ssh2-library, providing a promise-based approach to avoid nested callbacks and adding useful features such as command existence checking and persistent exec sessions.

---

• HiveSsh
• SSH2
• Key features
• Requirements
• Getting started
  • Promisified
    • Execute
    • Execute at
    • Command existence checks
    • Sftp
  • Abstract Package Manager
    • Custom apm
    • Register package manager
  • Exec Session
• Technologies
• Contributing
• License
• Disclaimer

SSH2

The term ssh2 has two meanings here, the secure shell protocol and the npm library. When referring to the npm library, this repo will always refer to it as the ssh2-library.

HiveSsh is a wrapper library of the ssh2-library with additional features and promise-based task execution instead of a callback function approach.

Key features

HiveSsh provides the following key features:

• All-Distributions: SSH2 and SFTP operations for all Linux servers
• Promisified: Promise-based operations for ease of use
• AbstractPackageManager: Built-in abstract package manager with support for apt, dnf, and yum, with additional configurability
• Exec: Command execution utilities for event or promise-based error handling and output parsing, filtering, and mapping

Requirements

HiveSsh requires the following server environments:

• SSH2 server
• SFTP support
• Linux distribution

Getting started

npm i hivessh

import { SshHost } from "hivelib"

// connect
const myHost = await SshHost.connect({
    host: "127.0.0.1",
    //port: 22, (default 22)
    //user: "root", (default root)

    password: "123456789",
})
// or
const myHost = await SshHost.connect({
    host: "127.0.0.1",
    //port: 22, (default 22)
    //user: "root", (default root)

    privateKey: "..."
    //passphrase: "123456789"
})
// or
const myHost = await SshHost.connect({
    host: "127.0.0.1",
    //port: 22, (default 22)
    //user: "root", (default root)

    privateKeyPath:"/home/user/.ssh/id_rsa",
    //passphrase: "123456789"
})

Here are some using examples:

Promisified

Execute

After connecting a SshHost, you can use the promisified execution (and other asset features) directly on the SshHost instance.

// check files in user home dir
const homeDirFiles = await myHost.exec("ls -al")
console.log("Home dir files:\n", homeDirFiles.out)

Execute at

You can also execute commands on absolut path:

const etcDirFiles = await myHost.exec(
  "ls -al",
  { pwd: "/etc" }
)
console.log("Etc files: ", etcDirFiles.out)

Command existence checks

Get the hosts public ip address:

// check if curl command exists
const curlExists = await myHost.cmdExists("curl")
if(!curlExists){
  myHost.close()
  throw new Error("Curl is not installed on: " + myHost.settings.id)
}

const myIp = await myHost.exec("curl ifconfig.me")
console.log("Host public ip: " + myIp.out)
//other sources: `api.ipify.org`, `ipinfo.io/ip` or `ipecho.net/plain`

Also a git example:

// check if git command exists
const gitExists = await myHost.cmdExists("git")
if(!gitExists){
  myHost.close()
  throw new Error("Git is not installed on: " + myHost.settings.id)
}

// get git status
const gitStatus = await myHost.exec(
  "git status",
  {
    pwd: "/home/tester/myrepo"
  }
)

console.log("Git status:\n", gitStatus.out)

Sftp

You can also use the promisified SFTP features via SshHost.sftp.

const myBinary: Buffer = await myHost.sftp.readFile("/home/tester/my-binary")

const exampleConfig: string = await myHost.sftp.readFile("/etc/example/config.yml", "utf8")

You can find the types in the npmjs.com build (at /dist/essentials/SftpPromiseWrapper.d.ts). You can also check out the ssh2-library sftp docs for more background.

Abstract Package Manager

The abstract package manager (aka apm) allows you to use apt, dnf, yum or a custom implemented package manager from one interface. The apm features are limited and generic, but you can upgrade your system and install, remove and list your packages.

// upgrade all packages using the abstract package manager
const apm = await myHost.getApm()
await apm.updateCache()
await apm.upgradeAll()

// install a package using the abstract package manager
await apm.install("git")

Custom apm

To create a custom apm, you need to implement the following typescript interface: https://github.com/NobleMajo/hivessh/blob/main/src/apm/ApmInterface.ts

Register package manager

After implementing the custom package manager, you need to register it globally using a checker function:

import { apmChecker, AbstractPackageManager } from "./apm/apm.js"

apmChecker.push(async (host) => {
    if (await host.cmdExists("myapm")) {
        const myApm: AbstractPackageManager = { ... }

        return myApm
    }
})

This function is called when the getApm() is called and can return a package manager depending on the host.

Exec Session

Sessions are available so that the PWD (process working directory) and environment do not have to be specified for each individual command. These sessions store these settings persistently across multiple executions and can even resolve relative paths.

const session = host.session("/etc/example")

session.exec("ls -al") // is executed at /etc/example
session.exec("./myApp") // is using MY_APP_ENV_VAR

Example with more options:

const session = host.session("/etc/someapp")

//if sudo is needed enable it for following processes
session.sudo = true

// set process environment variables for following processes
session.env.TZ = "Europe/Berlin"
session.env.NODE_ENV = "production"

// change directory (without checking if exists) for following processes
// shortcut for session.env.PWD = "/etc/someapp/dist"
session.cd("/etc/someapp/dist")

// execute my app with earlier defined environment
session.exec("node myApp.js")

Technologies

HiveSsh is built using the following technologies:

• TypeScript
• Node.js
• ssh2-library

Contributing

Contributions to this project are welcome!
Interested users can follow the guidelines provided in the CONTRIBUTING.md file to contribute to the project and help improve its functionality and features.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT license, which provides users with the flexibility and freedom to use and modify the software according to their needs.

Disclaimer

This project is provided "as is".
Users are advised to consult the accompanying licence for further information on terms of use and limitations of liability.