PuTTY for iOS
Download
The configuration window, sized for a thumb
Category tree, host and port, connection type and saved sessions with Load, Save and Delete. Everything sits where PuTTY always kept it, with touch targets you can hit on a phone at three in the morning.
A free SSH, Telnet and Raw client for iPhone and iPad, with the configuration window, host key checks and login prompts you know from Windows
A new host waits for your yes
Before a single key is sent, the PuTTY Security Alert shows the server's SHA256 fingerprint. Cache it, accept it once or walk away. If a known key ever changes, you get the warning in full.
ssh-ed25519 255 SHA256:srpK376OKNEDaPyXBuLlfLuSHwBoteohHJ2Jm7jtQeI
A real xterm in your pocket
PuTTY's sixteen colours and the green block cursor, with Esc, Ctrl, Tab and arrow keys above the keyboard. Pinch to resize the font and keep several sessions open from the taskbar.
What comes with it
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Your own keys
OpenSSH and PuTTY .ppk, Ed25519 and RSA. Passphrases are asked at login and never stored
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Login the PuTTY way
login as:anduser@host's password:right in the terminal, asked again after Access denied -
Telnet and Raw
For switches, routers and the box under the desk, with window size and terminal type negotiation
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Settings that do something
Local echo, Backspace as ^H or ^?, bell, cursor shape, font, colour schemes and keepalives
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Several sessions
Keep more than one host open and switch between them from the taskbar
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Nothing is logged
No event log, no session logs, no analytics. Saved sessions hold settings, private keys stay in the iOS Keychain
Install the unsigned IPA
Pick the tool you already use to sideload
- Download the IPAPuTTY-iOS-unsigned.ipa from the latest GitHub release
- Sign it with SideloadlyConnect your iPhone, drop the IPA onto Sideloadly and sign in with your Apple ID
- Trust the profileSettings › General › VPN & Device Management, then Trust
- Open PuTTYFree Apple IDs re-sign every 7 days
Download IPA
SHA-256 c594f94df6bbfc22428cc3313cc7c33b4fd9eef3525caccf6f1a3977c127f15d
Questions
Is this the official PuTTY?
No. It is an independent, unofficial app modelled on PuTTY by Simon Tatham. The code is new Swift, released under the MIT licence.
Why does my RSA key get refused?
RSA user keys are signed with SHA-1, which OpenSSH 8.8 and later reject by default. Use an Ed25519 key. RSA host keys and password logins are not affected.
Which login methods work?
Password and public key. Keyboard-interactive is not supported, so a server that offers only that method will not accept a password.
Why does a session drop in the background?
iOS suspends apps it cannot see. A connection survives a short switch of about 30 seconds; after that iOS closes it, and Restart Session brings it back.
What does the app keep on my phone?
Your saved sessions and cached host keys. Private keys sit in the iOS Keychain. Passwords, passphrases and everything you type are never written down.
Why are Rlogin and Serial greyed out?
iOS gives apps neither the privileged ports Rlogin needs nor serial lines. Encrypted .ppk version 3 keys are not read yet; version 2 keys are.