La Terminal, an innovative SSH client available for Apple Vision Pro, presents a robust toolset aimed at creating a seamless remote command-line experience for users navigating through iPhone and iPad. This application is designed with the touch-centric needs of command-line enthusiasts in mind, transforming how they interact with SSH from their Apple devices.
Developed by Xibbon, Inc, La Terminal is built on the foundations of open-source software. It incorporates the SwiftTerm library, offering a powerful terminal emulator that mimics the Xterm and DEC VT experiences. This fusion delivers a high-quality, feature-rich client for adept command-line users.
The Command Search feature stands out prominently in La Terminal, allowing users to quickly locate commands from their history or an extensive workflow gallery. This enables users to execute, create, and modify workflows for a myriad of tasks seamlessly. Whether it’s running frequently utilized commands or managing complex, hard-to-remember commands, this feature streamlines operations significantly.
At the core of La Terminal is an AI-powered assistant, offering substantial help for users unfamiliar with specific commands. By simply inputting plain English requests, such as “extract the name property inside the article element from a json file” or “list the most CPU consuming Kubernetes pods,” users receive accurate terminal command suggestions. This smart assistant bridges the gap between novice users and intricate command-line operations.
Aesthetically, La Terminal is second to none. The app provides a fully themeable interface enhanced by visually stunning live-effect backgrounds, powered by Metal Performance Shaders. This visual appeal is complemented by the app’s secure design, utilizing Apple’s Secure Enclave to store private keys safely, ensuring they remain inaccessible as plain text.
For those managing system performance, La Terminal offers robust resource monitoring tools. These tools provide dynamic visualizations of CPU and memory usage, paired with a native process explorer. Users can easily access these visualizations from the top of any connected terminal, alongside in-depth views into CPU, memory, and disk utilization. The active terminals view features thumbnail snapshots, displaying previews of connected hosts and their system loads over time. Additionally, the app maps network traffic globally, helping users interpret the origins and destinations of their network connections.
With iCloud integration, La Terminal ensures that settings and keys are synchronized across all your Apple devices, offering a fluid transition between iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It is well-versed with multiple host platforms, providing a productive experience regardless if you’re managing Linux VMs on AWS, logging into a Mac, or configuring an IoT Raspberry Pi project. The app even caters to Windows PowerShell aficionados, offering a delightful SSH experience.
International support is extensive in La Terminal, accommodating both internationalized output rendering and input methods from native iOS dictation and international keyboards. For users looking to expand their functionality, La Terminal Pro offers advanced features such as a complete SFTP File Manager, SSH Agent Forwarding, enhanced Live Backgrounds, and support for Apple’s Files app for seamless file access across various iOS applications.
However, despite its impressive features, user feedback reveals certain areas that need attention. Some users note the presence of a black bar at the top and bottom of the window, which detracts from the overall user interface by accommodating rounded corners. The desire for square corners to maximize text space remains a common theme.
For Linux administrators and DevOps engineers, La Terminal is considered a “killer app” for Apple Vision Pro, expediting remote client work without the dependency on a MacBook. Despite this, issues such as blurry fonts, limited SSH sessions, unwanted pasting from clipboard clicks, and difficulties in highlighting and pasting text have been flagged, impacting user experience. Additional concerns include the necessity to input login credentials for each host individually and the app’s sensitivity to latency when compared to other SSH clients.
La Terminal is a powerful, visually appealing SSH client that pushes the boundaries of terminal application experiences on iOS. While it excels in several areas, including AI assistance, thematic customization, and resource monitoring, there remains room for improvement in user interface and performance aspects. Once these issues are addressed, La Terminal has the potential to truly redefine remote command-line operation on Apple devices.
