Advanced Electerm Workflows: SSH, SFTP, and Session Management

Getting Started with Electerm: Installation, Features, and TipsElecterm is a modern, open-source terminal emulator and file transfer GUI designed for developers and system administrators who need a powerful, cross-platform SSH client with integrated SFTP functionality. This guide walks you through installing Electerm, explores its key features, and shares practical tips to get the most out of it.

What is Electerm?

Electerm combines the functionality of a terminal emulator and a graphical SFTP client. It supports SSH, Telnet, serial ports, and provides session management, a built-in file manager, and customizable themes and keyboard shortcuts. Electerm is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Installation

System Requirements

Modern Windows (Windows 10+), macOS (10.13+), or a recent Linux distribution.
Node.js is not required for end users if you use the pre-built binaries; needed only if building from source.

Installing on Windows

Download the latest Windows installer (EXE) from Electerm’s releases page.
Run the installer and follow the setup wizard.
Launch Electerm from the Start menu.

Installing on macOS

Download the macOS DMG from Electerm’s releases.
Open the DMG and drag Electerm to the Applications folder.
Launch Electerm from Applications or Spotlight.

Installing on Linux

Debian/Ubuntu (DEB):

Download the .deb package and install:


sudo dpkg -i electerm_x.y.z_amd64.deb sudo apt-get install -f

Fedora (RPM):
1. Download the .rpm package and install:
```
sudo rpm -i electerm-x.y.z.rpm 
```

AppImage:

Download the AppImage, make it executable and run:


chmod +x Electerm-x.y.z.AppImage ./Electerm-x.y.z.AppImage

Alternatively, use your distribution’s package manager or build from source following the repository instructions.

Building from source

Clone the repository:


git clone https://github.com/electerm/electerm.git cd electerm

Install dependencies and build:
```
npm install npm run build npm run start 
```
Note: Building requires Node.js and npm/yarn. Check the project README for exact commands.

First Run: Basic Configuration

Open Electerm. The welcome screen allows creating a new SSH connection or importing sessions.
Create a new connection:
- Host: server IP or hostname
- Port: typically 22 for SSH
- Username: your account name
- Authentication: password or private key (you can paste or load a key file)
Save the session for quick access later. Sessions can be organized into groups/folders.
Open the terminal tab to start a session. Electerm supports multiple tabs and split panes.

Key Features

SSH, Telnet, and Serial Support

Electerm supports standard SSH protocols (including key-based auth), Telnet for legacy systems, and serial connections for embedded devices.

Integrated SFTP File Manager

A built-in SFTP client lets you transfer files via a graphical interface. You can drag-and-drop files between local and remote panes, edit remote files directly, and queue transfers.

Session Management

Save, group, and tag sessions. Sessions can store host, port, credentials (securely), and preferred settings. Quickly duplicate or clone sessions for similar servers.

Multiple Tabs and Split Panes

Work on multiple servers or terminal tasks simultaneously using tabs and horizontally/vertically split panes.

Customizable Themes and Fonts

Choose or create themes, change font families and sizes, and enable ligatures or line height adjustments. Toggle light/dark themes for readability.

Keyboard Shortcuts & Macros

Customize shortcuts for common actions (new tab, split, copy/paste) and set up macros or scripts to run on session start.

Port Forwarding and Tunnels

Configure local/remote port forwarding for SSH tunnels within session settings.

Clipboard and Drag-and-Drop Support

Seamless copy/paste and drag-and-drop of files into SFTP panes or terminal windows.

Cross-platform and Portable

Binaries are available for major OSes; AppImage and portable builds allow running Electerm without full installation.

Tips and Best Practices

Use key-based SSH authentication for security and to avoid repeated passwords. Load your private key in session settings.
Organize sessions into folders named by environment (production/staging/dev) to avoid mistakes.
Set distinct terminal colors or prompts per environment (e.g., red prompt for production) to prevent accidental commands on the wrong host.
Use split panes to tail logs while editing config files on the same host.
Enable “reconnect” or session auto-reconnect where available for flaky networks.
For frequent file edits, use the built-in SFTP editor or mount the remote filesystem with an external tool (like sshfs) when appropriate.
Export and back up session configurations to transfer them between machines.
Adjust scrollback buffer size in settings if you need to review long command outputs.
If you automate deployments, consider saving startup commands in a session’s “command on connect” field.

Troubleshooting

Connection refused: verify host, port, and network reachability (ping, nc).
Authentication failures: check username, key permissions (private key should be 600), and server-side authorized_keys.
SFTP timeouts: increase timeout settings or check server filesystem permissions.
Rendering issues: try switching terminal renderer or updating GPU acceleration settings.

Alternatives and When to Use Electerm

Electerm is ideal when you want an all-in-one SSH + SFTP GUI with session management and cross-platform support. If you prefer minimal terminals, native clients (OpenSSH, iTerm2, Windows Terminal) may be better. For advanced IDE-integrated terminals, consider alternatives like VS Code’s Remote – SSH.

Electerm	Pros	Cons
All-in-one SSH + SFTP	Integrated file manager, easy transfers	Not as lightweight as pure terminal apps
Cross-platform UI	Same experience on Windows/macOS/Linux	Occasional Electron app overhead
Session management	Organize many servers easily	Features may differ from native clients

Resources

Official repository and releases (check for latest installers and release notes).
Electerm README for build instructions and advanced configuration options.
Community forums or issue tracker for troubleshooting and feature requests.

Getting started with Electerm typically takes minutes using the pre-built binaries. Save sessions, load your SSH key, and explore split panes and the SFTP panel to speed up everyday remote work.