A host is a server you connect to, saved in your vault with its address, user and sign-in method. Groups give many hosts the same defaults. Identities let several hosts share one user and sign-in method.
Adding and editing a host
Choose New host next to Hosts in the sidebar, or the pencil next to a host to edit it. The host editor has these fields:
- Vault
- Only shown when you can write to more than one vault, for example a team's. A host stays in the vault it was created in, and it can only use keys, jump hosts, VPNs, identities and groups from that same vault.
- Label, Hostname or IP, Port
- The label is what the sidebar shows. The port is 22 unless you change it.
- Group
- Shown once the vault has groups. See below.
- Sign in as
- Shown once there are identities. Pick This host's own user and sign-in, the group's identity, or an identity.
- User and authentication
- Password: saved in the vault, or left empty to be asked when you connect. If the server uses keyboard-interactive sign-in instead (common with PAM), MorphGate answers its password prompts with the same password; it can't answer other questions that way yet, such as a one-time code. SSH key: a key from your vault. SSH agent: the identities loaded in your SSH agent (
$SSH_AUTH_SOCK) on Linux and macOS; agent sign-in isn't available on Windows yet. - Connect via
- Direct connection, or a jump host. See Jump hosts.
- VPN
- None (your normal network), or one of your VPNs. See A VPN per host.
- Terminal scheme
- This device's scheme, or one for this host only. See Themes and terminal appearance.
- Keep the session on the server (tmux)
- Each tab attaches to its own tmux session on the host. See Terminal sessions.
- Record sessions into the vault
- See Session logs.
- Tags and Notes
- Tags are comma separated. The search box in the sidebar matches labels, hostnames, users and tags.
- Attachments
- Files kept with the host. See below.
Choose Save, or Save & connect. To delete a host, choose Delete host, then Really delete?. Its attachments go with it.
Beside the form, Connection path shows how MorphGate will reach the host: this device, the VPN, each jump host, then the host, marked key pinned once its host key is pinned. A preview shows a few lines in the host's terminal scheme.
Quick connect
Quick connect (the plus at the end of the tab bar) opens a session without saving anything first. Enter the host, port and user, and sign in with a password, a key file on disk, or the SSH agent. Tick Save to vault to keep it as a host; with a password, the password is saved too. To save a host that signs in with a key, import the key into the vault first.
Groups
A group holds hosts and the defaults they share. Choose the group icon next to Hosts to create one. A group can set:
- an Identity,
- Connect via (a jump host),
- a VPN,
- a Terminal scheme,
- Keep sessions on the server (tmux).
Each host takes from its group what it leaves empty. A host uses the group's identity only when its own user is empty. Groups fold and unfold in the sidebar; this device remembers which are folded. Deleting a group keeps its hosts, with the values they took from it.
Identities
An identity is a user and a way to sign in (password, SSH key or SSH agent) that any number of hosts and groups can use. Change it once and every host using it signs in the new way. Create one with the person icon next to Keys, or the plus next to Identities once you have one. The identity editor lists the hosts and groups that use it.
Attachments
You can keep files with a host: a runbook, a certificate, a config file. Save the host first, then choose Attach files in its editor.
- Each file can be up to 20 MB.
- Files are encrypted with the vault's key and synced with it, to sync servers that store files. Other devices show a file as On the server and fetch it when you choose Save, which puts it in your Downloads folder.
- A file the server refused shows Not uploaded with the reason. On morphgate.com, files need an active plan, and each account and team has a storage limit.
- Deleting the host deletes its attachments.
Items in shared vaults
Hosts, keys and other items from a team's vault carry the vault's name in the sidebar. If you can only view that vault, the editor says You can use it but not change it. See Shared vaults and access.