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Configuration File

win-sshpass supports configuration files to manage connection info for multiple servers, avoiding lengthy command-line arguments every time.

Config File Format

Config files use a simple key: value format:

host: example.com
username: root
password: your_password
port: 22

Supported Fields

Field Description Default
host Host address (required) -
username / user Username root
password Password -
port Port 22
key / keypath Private key file path -
timeout Operation timeout in seconds, 0 = no limit 0
connect_timeout TCP connection timeout in seconds 10
retry / retries Connection retry count 3
strict_host_key Enable strict host key verification false

Example

host: 192.168.1.100
username: ubuntu
password: mypassword
port: 22
# key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519  # Use private key auth (alternative to password)
# timeout: 0              # Operation timeout (seconds), 0 = no limit
# connect_timeout: 10     # TCP connection timeout (seconds)
# retry: 3                # Connection retry count
# strict_host_key: false  # Enable strict host key verification

Using Config Files

# Execute command
win-sshpass -f server.config -c 'docker ps'

# Or pass command as positional argument
win-sshpass -f server.config 'docker ps'

# Open interactive shell
win-sshpass -f server.config

# Config file + SSH-style arguments
win-sshpass -f server.config ssh user@host 'ls'

Password File

If the file is not in config format (doesn't contain host: etc.), win-sshpass treats it as a password file (single-line text):

# pass.txt contains: mypassword
win-sshpass -f pass.txt ssh user@host

Configuration Priority

Configuration is merged in the following priority order (higher overrides lower):

  1. Command-line arguments (highest priority)
  2. Configuration file
  3. Default values (lowest priority)

Example:

# Config file has port: 22, but command line specifies -P 2222
win-sshpass -f server.config -P 2222 ssh user@host
# Uses port 2222

Multi-Server Management

Create separate config files for each server:

~/.ssh/
├── web-server.config
├── db-server.config
└── staging.config

# Web server
win-sshpass -f ~/.ssh/web-server.config 'nginx -t'

# Database server
win-sshpass -f ~/.ssh/db-server.config 'systemctl status mysql'

# Staging environment
win-sshpass -f ~/.ssh/staging.config 'docker ps'

Security Tips

Password Security

Config files contain plaintext passwords. Take care with file permissions:

  • Store config files in a secure directory (e.g., ~/.ssh/)
  • Set appropriate file permissions (readable only by current user)
  • Consider using private key authentication instead of passwords
# Linux/macOS
chmod 600 server.config

# Windows (using icacls)
icacls server.config /inheritance:r /grant:r %USERNAME%:R

Next Steps