How to Share Hosts and Credentials with Your Team
Sharing SSH config across the team can be tricky, especially when you want to maintain security and control. In this guide, we'll walk through how to set up Termius to share hosts and credentials with your team securely.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to:
Set up your vaults for sharing.
Manage permissions for shared access.
Troubleshoot common issues when sharing hosts and credentials.
Let’s get started!
Set Up Your Vaults for Sharing
Before sharing hosts and credentials, ensure your vaults are organized and ready for others to access.
Define the Vault You Need:
Use Personal Vault for information you don’t intend to share.
Use Team Vault for information you want to share with the whole team.
Use a custom Shared Vault for information you want to share with a specific group of team members.
Move Hosts to the Shared Vault:
In the Termius app, go to the Hosts section.
Select the Hosts and Groups you want to share.
In the context menu, select "Move to…" and select the Vault where the data will be placed.
Select how you share credentials:
Use Personal Vault if your teammates use their personal credentials to connect. In that case, credentials won't be shared.
Use Team Vault if your team members connect with the same shared credentials.
Managing Permissions to Shared Vaults
Controlling who has access to your team's data is crucial for security.
Set Permissions Levels:
Go to Settings → Vaults and select the vault you want to manage.
Assign permissions:
can edit: Can view and modify entities in the vault. Team members can create, update, and delete all the information in the vault. Also, change the permissions of other team members in the vault.
can view: Read-only access. Team members can connect and use snippets but can't edit anything.
remove access: Team members can't see the vault and its content.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with the best setup, issues can arise. Here’s how to resolve common problems:
Problem: I can't find my Keys/Snippets/Hosts when trying to attach them to a Host.
Solution: Ensure all the entities you want to link are in the same vault. For a consistent experience of all team members, linked entities must be moved altogether. Exception: credentials when you choose to keep credentials in the Personal vault.
Problem: A Team Member Can’t See Shared Vaults
Solution: Ensure a team owner set can edit or can view permissions to a member. When a new member joins, Termius notifies the owner via email and in-app messages to ask the owner to set permissions for a new member.
Problem: I can't connect to a shared Host. It asks for a username and password.
Solution: Check the Host's settings. If its credentials are set to be placed in the Personal vault, you are expected to have credentials to that Host in your Personal vault.
Final Thoughts
Following these steps, you can confidently share access to hosts and credentials with your team in Termius while maintaining security and control. Remember to regularly review permissions and audit access and encourage good practices within your team for seamless collaboration.