Get started with Netrix.

Before you begin

Windows is the first platform. Check the download sectionfor the verified installer, release details and checksum when available. These instructions describe the current desktop workflow.

Use a server or device you own or have permission to administer. Have its address, port, username and authentication method ready. Telnet is unencrypted; use SSH where the device supports it.

1. Set up your local workspace

On first launch, create and confirm a master password with at least 10 characters. Netrix uses it to protect the workspace database and credential vault. Enter your master password when opening an existing workspace.

Keep this password somewhere safe. There is no cloud account or online password recovery service. An unlocked vault is required when using stored passwords, private keys, and passphrases.

2. Add a device

Open Hosts and create a connection profile. Choose SSH, Telnet, or Serial and enter the connection details for a device you manage. Save the profile in a group so it is easy to find again. For an occasional connection, use Quick Connect.

For SSH, you can use a password or a private key. Saved secrets belong in the encrypted vault. You can also preview and selectively import host aliases from an OpenSSH configuration file.

• SSH: enter the hostname or IP address, SSH port and username, then choose password or private-key authentication.
• Telnet: use the device's configured address and port only on a network where plaintext transport is acceptable.
• Serial: select the local COM port and match the device's baud rate and serial settings. A serial connection does not use SFTP.

3. Open a terminal

Select a saved host to start a session. Netrix records an SSH server's first-seen host key and rejects subsequent changes. Check its fingerprint in Known Hosts against a trusted source. Verify a legitimate key rotation with the device owner before updating your trust record.

Open additional devices in separate tabs, arrange sessions in split panes, or detach a terminal into its own window. Search and keyword highlighting help you find the output you need. Snippets and quick actions keep recurring commands close by.

4. Work with files

Open Files for an SSH host to check its SFTP support and browse remote folders. Use the local files panel to select a file for upload, or choose a remote file to download. Transfers show progress and use a separate connection from your terminal.

Some network devices provide an SSH shell without SFTP. Their terminal sessions remain usable. Telnet and Serial profiles do not offer SFTP.

Check the remote directory and your account's permissions before uploading. Review any overwrite confirmation. Netrix stages uploads in a temporary sibling file before renaming it; replacing an existing file requires server support for atomic rename. A failed transfer can leave a temporary file if the server is unreachable. Inspect the reported path before cleaning it up.

5. Organize your environment

Group related hosts, build network maps, and save useful snippets. The network tools include TCP port scanning and TLS certificate inspection. Use them on systems you own or have permission to test.

6. Export and restore an encrypted backup

The Encrypted backup & restore panel creates a portable archive of hosts, saved credentials, snippets, maps, quick actions, highlighting, saved tunnels and selected settings. Remote server files and live terminal sessions are not a workspace backup. SSH server trust is checked independently on each computer.

Create a recovery copy

1. Unlock the local vault and open the backup panel.
2. Enter and confirm a separate backup password of at least 12 characters.
3. Select Export encrypted backup. Save the .netrix-backup.json archive somewhere safe, separate from its password.
4. Keep the archive password even if you later change your workspace password. Existing archives do not change with it.

Restore on a destination computer

1. Create or unlock the destination workspace. Export its current contents first: restore replaces them.
2. Close all terminal sessions and tunnels, and finish or cancel active SFTP transfers.
3. Select the encrypted backup and enter the password used to create that archive.
4. Read the replacement notice, type RESTORE BACKUP, and select Replace workspace from backup.
5. Review the restored hosts and settings. Credentials use the destination vault's existing master password. Verify SSH fingerprints again before trusting connections.

A backup does not reset the master password of a locked workspace. If you cannot open the old workspace, recovery requires a backup you can decrypt and a separate destination workspace you can unlock. Keep the original files until recovery is verified.

When a connection or restore fails

• Connection refused or timed out: check the hostname, port, VPN or route, firewall and whether the server accepts that protocol.
• Authentication failed: confirm the username and authentication method. Unlock the vault before using saved secrets.
• Host key changed: stop and verify the new fingerprint with the administrator. Do not remove trust just to silence the error.
• SFTP unavailable: the SSH server needs an enabled SFTP subsystem and filesystem access for your account. A working shell alone is not enough.
• Backup rejected: check the archive password and file integrity. Restore requires no active sessions, tunnels or transfers, and an unlocked destination vault.

Learn more about local storage and security, or read the development notes for recent changes.