[Feature Request]: Add more options to SSH connexion #50

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1. edmc73

   added

   feature requestNew feature requestNew feature request

   on May 4, 2026
2. Skyfay

   self-assigned this

   on May 5, 2026
3. Skyfay commented on May 5, 2026

   

   Skyfay

   on May 5, 2026

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   Hey @edmc73

   Thanks for your feature request.

   Implementing ProxyJump isn't trivial, the underlying ssh2 library doesn't support it natively, which means we'd need to manually implement a two-step connection setup (connect to the proxy first, open a TCP channel, then tunnel the actual SSH session through it). This adds meaningful complexity and potential failure points to the SSH stack, which is why I'm a bit hesitant to prioritize it right now.

   I'll keep this issue open to gauge interest. If it gets enough votes/reactions, I'll revisit and plan it properly. If interest stays low, I may close it down the line to keep the backlog clean.

   If you'd like to upvote this, feel free to add a 👍 reaction to the issue that helps me prioritize!

   Hope this is okay :)
4. Skyfay

   added

   more votes neededIt needs more votes to be implemented.It needs more votes to be implemented.

   on May 5, 2026
5. edmc73 commented on May 5, 2026

   

   edmc73

   on May 5, 2026

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   Thanks for your reply!

   Okay, I understand it's not straightforward with the ssh2 library.

   I saw that you can directly call the system command via child_process:

   import { exec } from 'child_process';
   // SSH will then natively handle the config file and ProxyJump
   exec('ssh my-alias-config "ls /var/log"', (err, stdout) => { ... });
   

   This would allow the use of the ~/.ssh/config file.

   But this might not be very clean.

   An alternative solution for me would be to open SSH tunnels on the Docker host machine or in another Docker container.

   Or, ideally, I would have a dbackup agent that installs on the remote machines and communicates via a secure HTTPS API.
6. Skyfay commented on May 5, 2026

   

   Skyfay

   on May 5, 2026

   Owner

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   Thanks for your feedback.

   Calling the system ssh binary via child_process would indeed make ~/.ssh/config and ProxyJump work “for free”. However, I’m a bit hesitant to go that route because it introduces a second SSH implementation next to ssh2, requires the SSH client to be present in the container, and increases the security and maintenance surface (escaping, injection risks, platform differences, harder debugging). It also gets tricky once we need streaming, file transfers, and consistent behavior across adapters.

   For now, the most reliable workaround is still to create the tunnel outside of DBackup (on the Docker host or in a dedicated sidecar container) and then use “direct” mode against the local forwarded port.

   Regarding the dedicated remote agent there is already a feature request for this: #40
   Maybe read my comment there.

   I’ll keep this issue open and label it as “more votes needed”. If more users confirm they need ProxyJump support, I’ll revisit and plan a proper implementation.

   Thank you for helping us to make DBackup better :)

   👍React with 👍1Reacted by edmc73