Pure PHP SSH server designed for terminal apps

Whisp

Your pure* PHP SSH server ∙ the simplest & best way to build PHP SSH apps

[!NOTE] Quick example: sign our guestbook (See the code)

ssh guestbook@whisp.fyi

Got a one-time secret to share? ssh secrets@whisp.fyi

Explore the full docs at WhispPHP.com »

#Installation

We recommend using our template project to get setup with Whisp & Laravel Prompts.

You can also add Whisp to an existing project with composer.

composer require whispphp/whisp

Coming soon: Laravel package, Laravel starter kit, and a Docker image.

#Requirements

• PHP 8.2+
• FFI, pcntl, and libsodium modules

#Usage

Run the server on the port & IP you'd like, with the apps you want to make available. Each connection is forked to its own process and runs independently.

<?php
 
// Setup server port & IP
$server = new Whisp\Server(port: 2222);
 
// Then, add your apps in 1 of 3 ways: auto discovery, array, or string
 
// Auto-discovery - we'll find all apps in the 'apps' directory and make them available
$server->run();
 
// Array
$server->run(apps: [
    'default' => 'full-path/howdy.php',
    'guestbook' => 'full-path/guestbook.php',
    'chat-{roomName}' => 'full-path/chat.php',
]);
 
// String - set the default script that's always ran
$server->run('full-path/howdy.php');

Once running you can test with:

Default app

ssh localhost -p2222

Guestbook app

ssh guestbook@localhost -p2222

#Environment variables available to each app

These are each available as environment variables.

#Clients requesting apps

There are two ways for clients to request an available app:

1. Username method: ssh app@server - we use the 'username' here as the app name if it matches an available app.
   • Much cleaner, but means if you need the username for auth you can't define the app this way
2. Command method: ssh server -t app - request an interactive shell (-t) with the requested app

Explore the full docs at WhispPHP.com », which also show how to setup Whisp to listen on port 22, start on boot, and restart on failure with systemd.

#Live Examples

Play the Dinorun game ∙ See the code

ssh dinorun@whisp.fyi

Share one-time secrets Fully encrypted, and fully secure. Only the person with the valid private SSH key can access them.

ssh secrets@whisp.fyi

View your sunrise/sunset times ∙ See the code

ssh daylight@whisp.fyi

Find your closest World Heritage Sites

ssh elec@whisp.fyi

#Support & Credits

This was developed by Ashley Hindle. If you like it, please star it, share it, and let me know!

• Bluesky
• Twitter
• Website https://ashleyhindle.com