mole
A CLI tool for creating resilient SSH tunnels with a focus on reliability and user experience.
What is mole?
Mole is a command-line application that creates SSH tunnels with a focus on resiliency and user experience. It solves the problem of unreliable SSH connections by automatically handling disconnections and re-establishing tunnels, making secure remote access more robust. The tool simplifies SSH tunneling configuration compared to using raw SSH commands directly.
System administrators, DevOps engineers, and developers who need reliable SSH tunnels for secure remote access, port forwarding, or accessing services behind firewalls.
Developers choose Mole over traditional SSH tunneling because it provides automatic reconnection capabilities and a more user-friendly interface, reducing the manual effort required to maintain persistent secure connections.
Overview
CLI application to create ssh tunnels focused on resiliency and user experience.
Use Cases
Best For
- Creating persistent SSH tunnels that survive network interruptions
- Simplifying SSH port forwarding configuration for developers
- Accessing services behind firewalls or NATs securely
- Automating secure remote access to databases or internal services
- Building resilient infrastructure connections in DevOps workflows
- Replacing complex SSH command-line arguments with a simpler tool
Not Ideal For
- Users needing only occasional, one-off SSH tunnels where the standard OpenSSH command-line suffices and automatic reconnection is unnecessary overhead
- Environments with strict security policies that mandate using only vetted, widely-adopted tools like OpenSSH for compliance and audit trails
- Projects requiring graphical interfaces or deep integration with container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes for automated tunnel management
Pros & Cons
Pros
Mole automatically handles SSH connection drops and re-establishes tunnels without manual intervention, as highlighted in its key features for resiliency.
It provides an intuitive command-line interface that reduces the complexity of raw SSH arguments, making tunnel configuration more user-friendly.
The tool includes automated recovery to maintain tunnel availability despite network interruptions, addressing common reliability issues in SSH tunneling.
With CI badges and contribution guidelines in the README, the project shows ongoing development and community engagement, ensuring updates and fixes.
Cons
Documentation is hosted on a separate website, which can be less convenient and might not always sync with the latest code changes or features.
Building from source requires Go 1.17.1+, as stated in the README, adding setup complexity for users without Go or preferring binary installs.
Compared to established tools like OpenSSH, Mole may lack integrations with enterprise monitoring systems or advanced tunneling scenarios beyond basic port forwarding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
fzf:cherry_blossom: A command-line fuzzy finder
diveA tool for exploring each layer in a docker image
HubA command-line tool that makes git easier to use with GitHub.
lo💥 A Lodash-style Go library based on Go 1.18+ Generics (map, filter, contains, find...)
Found a gem we're missing?
Open-Awesome is built by the community, for the community. Submit a project, suggest an awesome list, or help improve the catalog on GitHub.