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Overview

Netcatty provides extensive host configuration options beyond basic connection details. This guide covers advanced settings including environment variables, startup commands, protocol selection, and host-specific customizations.

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Environment Variables

Set custom environment variables that will be exported in your SSH session.

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Configuration

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environmentVariables
EnvVar[]
Array of environment variable objects

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Example

{
  "environmentVariables": [
    { "name": "EDITOR", "value": "vim" },
    { "name": "NODE_ENV", "value": "production" },
    { "name": "PATH", "value": "/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin" }
  ]
}

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UI Location

  1. Open Host Details panel
  2. Navigate to Advanced section
  3. Click Environment Variables
  4. Add variables using the + button
Environment variables are exported after connection but before the startup command runs.

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Startup Commands

Execute commands automatically after connecting to a host.
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startupCommand
string
Command or script to run after connection

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Use Cases

  • Change to a specific directory
  • Source profile files
  • Display system information
  • Activate virtual environments
  • Start monitoring tools

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Examples

Change Directory and Show Status 
cd /var/www && git status
Activate Python Environment 
source ~/venv/bin/activate && cd ~/project
Multi-line Script 
cd /srv/app
source .env
npm run status

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UI Location

  1. Open Host Details panel
  2. Find Startup Command field
  3. Enter your command(s)
  4. Multi-line commands are supported

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Protocol Configuration

Netcatty supports multiple protocols per host with individual port configurations.

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Available Protocols

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protocol
HostProtocol
Default protocol for this host

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Multi-Protocol Support

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protocols
ProtocolConfig[]
Configure multiple protocols for quick switching

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Example Configuration

{
  "protocol": "ssh",
  "port": 22,
  "protocols": [
    { "protocol": "ssh", "port": 22, "enabled": true },
    { "protocol": "telnet", "port": 23, "enabled": true },
    { "protocol": "mosh", "port": 22, "enabled": true, "moshServerPath": "/usr/local/bin/mosh-server" }
  ]
}

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Mosh Configuration

Mobile Shell provides better connectivity over unstable networks.
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moshEnabled
boolean
Enable Mosh support
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moshServerPath
string
Custom path to mosh-server executable on remote host

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Example

{
  "moshEnabled": true,
  "moshServerPath": "/usr/local/bin/mosh-server"
}
Mosh requires mosh-server to be installed on the remote host. The default path is usually /usr/bin/mosh-server.

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Serial Port Configuration

Connect to devices via serial ports (for network equipment, embedded systems, etc.).
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serialConfig
SerialConfig
Serial port connection settings

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Example: Cisco Switch Connection

{
  "protocol": "serial",
  "serialConfig": {
    "path": "/dev/ttyUSB0",
    "baudRate": 9600,
    "dataBits": 8,
    "stopBits": 1,
    "parity": "none",
    "flowControl": "none"
  }
}

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Character Encoding

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charset
string
Character encoding for the terminal session (e.g., UTF-8, ISO-8859-1)

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Legacy Algorithm Support

Enable support for older SSH algorithms (for network equipment, legacy servers).
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legacyAlgorithms
boolean
Enable legacy SSH key exchange and cipher algorithms
Legacy algorithms are less secure. Only enable this for connecting to older devices that don’t support modern algorithms.

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Font Customization

Override the global terminal font settings per host.
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fontFamily
string
Terminal font family for this host
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fontSize
number
Terminal font size in points for this host

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Example

{
  "fontFamily": "JetBrains Mono",
  "fontSize": 14
}

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Theme Override

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theme
string
Terminal theme ID to use for this host

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Example

{
  "theme": "dracula"
}
Available themes include: netcatty-dark, netcatty-light, dracula, monokai, solarized-dark, solarized-light, nord-dark, tokyo-night, and many more.

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Distribution Detection

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distro
string
Auto-detected Linux distribution ID (e.g., ubuntu, debian, centos)
Netcatty automatically detects the remote system’s distribution for optimized feature support.

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Complete Configuration Example

{
  "id": "prod-web-01",
  "label": "Production Web Server",
  "hostname": "web-01.example.com",
  "port": 22,
  "username": "deploy",
  "protocol": "ssh",
  "authMethod": "key",
  "identityFileId": "my-deploy-key",
  "agentForwarding": true,
  "environmentVariables": [
    { "name": "NODE_ENV", "value": "production" },
    { "name": "EDITOR", "value": "vim" }
  ],
  "startupCommand": "cd /var/www/app && git status",
  "theme": "dracula",
  "fontFamily": "Fira Code",
  "fontSize": 13,
  "keywordHighlightEnabled": true,
  "tags": ["production", "web"],
  "group": "Production/Web Servers"
}

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Best Practices

  • Keep sensitive values out of environment variables
  • Use consistent naming conventions
  • Document required variables for team members
  • Keep commands lightweight to avoid connection delays
  • Use && to chain commands that depend on each other
  • Avoid interactive prompts in startup commands
  • Use SSH for secure connections
  • Enable Mosh for unstable networks (WiFi, mobile)
  • Use Telnet only for legacy equipment in trusted networks

Authentication

Configure SSH keys, passwords, and certificates

Keyword Highlighting

Customize host-specific highlight rules

Custom Themes

Create and apply custom terminal themes

Proxy & Jump Hosts

Configure proxy servers and bastion hosts