shux

streaming shell multiplexer

like screen or tmux but as pure javascript library instead of a program

example

re-attachable single-session tcp shell server

server.js:

var net = require('net');
var shux = require('shux')();
shux.createShell('xyz');
 
var server = net.createServer(function (stream) {
    var sh = shux.attach('xyz');
    stream.pipe(sh).pipe(stream);
});
server.listen(5000);

You can connect to this server directly with netcat or telnet but it will have annoying local echo and won't have a way to detach without externally killing the process. Here's a client script you can use that detaches on ctrl-a d (like gnu screen) and sets raw mode to turn off local echo:

client.js:

var net = require('net');
var through = require('through');
 
var state = { meta: false };
var keyboard = through(function (buf) {
    if (buf.length === 1 && buf[0] === 1) return state.meta = true;
    
    if (state.meta && buf[0] === 'd'.charCodeAt(0)) {
        process.exit();
    }
    else this.queue(buf);
    state.meta = false;
});
 
var c = net.connect(5000);
keyboard.pipe(c).pipe(process.stdout);
 
process.stdin.setRawMode(true);
process.stdin.pipe(keyboard);
 
process.on('exit', function () {
    process.stdin.setRawMode(false);
    console.log();
});

methods

var shux = require('shux')

var shx = shux()

Create a new shell multiplexer shx.

var sh = shx.createShell(id, opts)

Create a shell with the name id or opts.id.

Return a duplex stream sh that can be hooked into the local stdin and stdout to obtain a shell session. When the session ends, the shell will still be alive and can be re-attached with shx.attach(id).

Optionally, you can set:

• opts.command - the command to use for the shell, default: 'bash'
• opts.arguments - extra arguments to pass to the opts.command, default: []
• opts.columns - width of the session in characters
• opts.rows - height of the session in characters

var sh = shx.attach(id, opts)

Connect to the session at id if it exists, returning a duplex stream sh. Otherwise return undefined.

Optionally, you can set:

• opts.columns - width of the session in characters
• opts.rows - height of the session in characters

shx.destroy(id, sig)

Send a kill signal to the shell process at id, if it exists.

shx.list()

Return a list of the active shell id strings.

events

shx.on('spawn', function (id) {})

When a subshell gets spawned, the 'spawn' event fires for that shell id.

shx.on('exit', function (id) {})

When a subshell exits, the 'exit' event fires for that shell id.

shx.on('attach', function (id) {})

When a subshell is attached, the 'attach' event fires for that shell id.

shx.on('detach', function (id) {})

When a subshell is detached, the 'detach' event fires for that shell id.

install

With npm do:

npm install shux

license

MIT