Introducing JumpTerm

Why We Built JumpTerm

Every engineer we know has a scattered collection of SSH configurations. A ~/.ssh/config on the work laptop, a different one on the personal machine, maybe some hastily scribbled connection details in a notes app. Private keys live on individual devices, and when you set up a new machine, you start the tedious process of reconstructing your SSH setup from memory.

We built JumpTerm because we were tired of this workflow. We wanted a single SSH client that keeps all our connections, keys, and configurations synchronized across every device -- without sacrificing security.

Security First

The core challenge was sync without trust. We did not want to build another tool that stores your SSH keys in plaintext on someone else's server. JumpTerm encrypts everything on your device before it touches the network. Your vault passphrase never leaves your machine. Our servers store only ciphertext, and we designed the system so that even a complete server breach would not expose your data.

We chose XChaCha20-Poly1305 for encryption and Argon2id for key derivation because they represent the current best practices in applied cryptography. The protocol is publicly documented and we welcome review from the security community.

What's Next

JumpTerm is now in public beta with apps for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Mobile apps for iOS and Android are coming soon. We are working on team features including shared vaults, audit logs, and SSO integration. Try it out, break things, and tell us what you think.