tmate

Overview

The tmate command is a terminal sharing tool based on tmux. It allows instant terminal sharing over SSH with automatic server provisioning.

Syntax

tmate [options] [command]

Common Options

Option Description
-S socket Socket path
-V Show version
-v Increase verbosity
-F Foreground mode
-k SSH key path
-n name Session name
-r Read-only mode
-h Show help
--host Custom host
--port Custom port
--api-key API key

Key Bindings

Command Action
Ctrl-b d Detach session
Ctrl-b c New window
Ctrl-b n Next window
Ctrl-b p Previous window
Ctrl-b % Split vertical
Ctrl-b " Split horizontal
Ctrl-b x Kill pane
Ctrl-b ? Show help
Ctrl-b : Command mode
Ctrl-b [ Copy mode

Key Use Cases

  1. Remote support
  2. Pair programming
  3. Training sessions
  4. Collaboration
  5. Remote access

Examples with Explanations

Example 1: Start Session

tmate

Start sharing session

Example 2: Named Session

tmate -n mysession

Create named session

Example 3: Read-only

tmate -r

Start read-only session

Common Usage Patterns

  1. Basic sharing:

    tmate show-messages

  2. Custom server:

    tmate -h host.example.com

  3. SSH config:

    tmate -k ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Security Considerations

  1. SSH security
  2. Session access
  3. Read-only mode
  4. Server trust
  5. Key management

Additional Resources

Best Practices

  1. Verify connections
  2. Use read-only
  3. Monitor sessions
  4. Secure keys
  5. Clean up

Configuration

  1. SSH keys
  2. Custom server
  3. Session options
  4. Access control
  5. Logging

Troubleshooting

  1. Connection issues
  2. Key problems
  3. Server errors
  4. Permission denied
  5. Display problems