sshx attach#
Description#
The attach sub-command under the tools sshx command creates and starts a container that runs the SSHX client. SSHX client establishes a terminal sharing session and provides a shareable web link that allows others to access the container's shell via their browser.
SSHX terminal sharing is particularly useful for:
- Remote collaboration on lab environments
- Sharing terminal access with team members
- Providing troubleshooting assistance
- Conducting demonstrations without giving direct access to your system
Usage#
Flags#
--lab | -l#
Name of the lab to attach the SSHX container to. This directly specifies the lab name to use.
--topology | -t#
Path to the topology file (*.clab.yml) that defines the lab. This global flag can be provided instead of the lab name provided with the --lab | -l flag. When lab name is not provided and the topology is provided, containerlab will extract the lab name from the topology file.
--name#
Name of the SSHX container. If not provided, the name will be automatically generated as clab-<labname>-sshx.
--enable-readers | -w#
Enable read-only access links. When enabled, the command will generate an additional link that can be shared with users who should have read-only access to the terminal session.
--image | -i#
The container image to use for SSHX client. Defaults to ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool.
--owner | -o#
The owner name to associate with the SSHX container. If not provided, it will be determined from environment variables (SUDO_USER or USER).
--format | -f#
Output format for the command. Defined at the parent command level and applies to the list command. Values: table (default) or json.
Examples#
Attach an SSHX container to a lab specified by lab name
❯ containerlab tools sshx attach -l mylab
11:40:03 INFO Pulling image ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool...
11:40:03 INFO Creating SSHX container clab-mylab-sshx on network 'clab-mylab'
11:40:03 INFO Creating container name=clab-mylab-sshx
11:40:03 INFO SSHX container clab-mylab-sshx started. Waiting for SSHX link...
SSHX link for collaborative terminal access:
https://sshx.io/s#sessionid,accesskey
Inside the shared terminal, you can connect to lab nodes using SSH:
ssh admin@clab-mylab-node1
Attach SSHX without exposing SSH keys
Attach with a specific topology file
❯ containerlab tools sshx attach -t mylab.clab.yml
11:40:03 INFO Parsing & checking topology file=mylab.clab.yml
11:40:03 INFO Pulling image ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool...
11:40:03 INFO Creating SSHX container clab-mylab-sshx on network 'clab-mylab'
11:40:03 INFO Creating container name=clab-mylab-sshx
11:40:03 INFO SSHX container clab-mylab-sshx started. Waiting for SSHX link...
SSHX link for collaborative terminal access:
https://sshx.io/s#sessionid,accesskey
Inside the shared terminal, you can connect to lab nodes using SSH:
ssh admin@clab-mylab-node1
Attach with a custom container name
❯ containerlab tools sshx attach -l mylab --name my-shared-terminal
11:40:03 INFO Pulling image ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool...
11:40:03 INFO Creating SSHX container my-shared-terminal on network 'clab-mylab'
11:40:03 INFO Creating container name=my-shared-terminal
11:40:03 INFO SSHX container my-shared-terminal started. Waiting for SSHX link...
SSHX link for collaborative terminal access:
https://sshx.io/s#sessionid,accesskey
Inside the shared terminal, you can connect to lab nodes using SSH:
ssh admin@clab-mylab-node1
Attach with read-only access enabled
❯ containerlab tools sshx attach -l mylab --enable-readers
11:40:03 INFO Pulling image ghcr.io/srl-labs/network-multitool...
11:40:03 INFO Creating SSHX container clab-mylab-sshx on network 'clab-mylab'
11:40:03 INFO Creating container name=clab-mylab-sshx
11:40:03 INFO SSHX container clab-mylab-sshx started. Waiting for SSHX link...
SSHX link for collaborative terminal access:
https://sshx.io/s#sessionid,accesskey
Read-only access link:
https://sshx.io/s#sessionid,accesskey
Inside the shared terminal, you can connect to lab nodes using SSH:
ssh admin@clab-mylab-node1
When the SSHX container is attached, anyone with the sharing link can access your terminal session through their web browser. From this shared terminal, they can connect to any node in the lab using SSH.
The container is automatically connected to the lab's management network, which provides DNS resolution for all lab nodes. This allows you to use node names like clab-mylab-node1 directly in SSH commands without needing to know specific IP addresses.
When the session is no longer needed, use the detach command to remove the container and terminate the session.