# Tessera docs

**Tessera is an SSH, Mosh, and tmux terminal for iPhone and iPad** — fast,
keyboard-first, and private by design. It connects directly to servers you
own or control; there is no Tessera backend, no account, and no data
collection.

- [Tessera on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tessera-ssh-terminal/id6779869388) — free, requires iOS/iPadOS 17 or later
- [Source code (GPL-3.0)](https://github.com/bambouville/tessera)
- [Support & bug reports](https://github.com/bambouville/tessera/issues)

Tessera is [free with every feature included](https://bambouville.com/docs/unlimited-hosts/); a one-time
purchase lifts the one-saved-host limit. Mosh and tmux features require
`mosh-server` / `tmux` installed on the server.

## What Tessera does

- **SSH and Mosh.** Password and key authentication; Mosh keeps your session
  alive across Wi-Fi ↔ cellular roaming and sleep/wake — with
  [real scrollback](https://bambouville.com/docs/mosh/), which no other iOS mosh client has.
- **tmux integration.** Native control mode — auto-attach on connect so a
  dropped connection never loses your work; windows and panes are real UI.
- **Secure by design.** Keys live in the iOS Keychain; Secure Enclave–backed
  P-256 keys never leave the device and can require Face ID to use. Host-key
  verification with a persistent known-hosts store, plus an app lock.
- **Local port forwarding** to reach services behind your server.
- **Files beside your shell.** A remote file panel that tracks your shell's
  directory, over SSH and mosh alike.
- **Agent center.** Watch and answer Claude Code and Codex sessions across all
  your connections from one page (experimental).
- **Across your devices.** [Hand off a live session](https://bambouville.com/docs/continuity/) between
  iPhone and iPad, and [set up a new device](https://bambouville.com/docs/nearby-setup/) over the local
  network — no cloud, and credentials never move.
- **Built for iPhone and iPad.** First-class hardware-keyboard support with
  remappable and custom shortcuts, a configurable swipe pad for the touch
  screen, Stage Manager / Split View, session restore, find-in-terminal,
  themes, and optional on-device dictation.
- **In your language.** English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese,
  Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese — the whole interface,
  following your device language.

## The guide

- [getting started](https://bambouville.com/docs/getting-started/) — install, first host, first connection
- [hosts & connections](https://bambouville.com/docs/connections/) — transports, launch modes, jump hosts
- [mosh](https://bambouville.com/docs/mosh/) — roaming that survives anything, and real scrollback
- [tmux](https://bambouville.com/docs/tmux/) — windows, panes, and why your work survives drops
- [keys](https://bambouville.com/docs/keys/) — generate, import, protect, install, recover
- [host key verification](https://bambouville.com/docs/host-keys/) — trust on first use, known hosts
- [port forwarding](https://bambouville.com/docs/port-forwarding/) — tunnels to services behind your server
- [keyboard & input](https://bambouville.com/docs/keyboard/) — shortcuts and the accessory bar
- [custom shortcuts & remapping](https://bambouville.com/docs/shortcuts/) — make the keyboard yours
- [swipe pad](https://bambouville.com/docs/swipe-pad/) — radial macros, agent options, dictation
- [files](https://bambouville.com/docs/files/) — browse, transfer, and share remote files
- [agent center](https://bambouville.com/docs/agent-center/) — Claude Code and Codex oversight (experimental)
- [tessera on iPhone](https://bambouville.com/docs/iphone/) — the companion surface for sessions that never die
- [continuity](https://bambouville.com/docs/continuity/) — handoff, device authorization, take back control
- [nearby setup](https://bambouville.com/docs/nearby-setup/) — move to a new device over the LAN
- [appearance & themes](https://bambouville.com/docs/appearance/) — make it yours
- [free & unlimited hosts](https://bambouville.com/docs/unlimited-hosts/) — what's free, what the unlock does
- [security & app lock](https://bambouville.com/docs/security/) — locking, biometrics, diagnostics
- [notifications](https://bambouville.com/docs/notifications/) — bells and agent attention
- [troubleshooting](https://bambouville.com/docs/troubleshooting/) — common snags
- [wsl mtu stalls](https://bambouville.com/docs/wsl-mtu/) — when a WSL host freezes mid-output
- [privacy policy](https://bambouville.com/docs/privacy/) — the short version: no data collection