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appleboy/ssh-action

A GitHub Action that runs commands on remote servers over SSH from your CI/CD workflows.

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What is it?

SSH for GitHub Actions lets a workflow log into one or more remote hosts over SSH and run shell commands or a script file on them. It is commonly used to deploy code, restart services, or run maintenance tasks on servers as part of a GitHub Actions pipeline. The action is built with Golang on top of drone-ssh.

Connection options cover password and private key authentication, custom ports, IPv4/IPv6 protocol selection, host fingerprint checks, and jump hosts through a separate proxy configuration. Multiple hosts can be targeted in one step, either in parallel or synchronously. Environment variables can be passed to the remote script, and standard output can be captured as a step output for later steps.

The repository includes setup guidance for generating RSA and ED25519 keys, notes on OpenSSH compatibility for older algorithms, and troubleshooting for shells where commands are not found.

Key features

  • 01Run multiple commands or a script file on remote hosts
  • 02Authenticate with a password or a private key, with passphrase support
  • 03Deploy to several hosts, either in parallel or synchronously
  • 04Connect through a jump host using separate proxy settings
  • 05Pass environment variables to the remote script
  • 06Capture command output for use in later workflow steps

Use cases

  • Deploying a built application to a VPS or on-premise server after a push
  • Restarting services or running database migrations on remote machines from CI
  • Running maintenance scripts across a fleet of hosts in one workflow step
  • Reaching private servers behind a bastion host from GitHub-hosted runners

Quick start

  1. 1

    Add the appleboy/ssh-action workflow step with host, username, key and script inputs

  2. 2

    Store HOST, USERNAME, KEY and PORT as GitHub Secrets and reference them in the step

  3. 3

    Push to the repository to trigger the workflow and run the remote commands

Things to know

  • It runs only inside GitHub Actions workflows, not as a standalone command-line tool.
  • Remote hosts must accept SSH connections from GitHub runners and have key or password login configured.

Topics

#github-actions#ssh#ci-cd#deployment#remote-execution#automation#ssh-client

FAQ

What is ssh-action?
A GitHub Action that runs commands on remote servers over SSH from your CI/CD workflows. SSH for GitHub Actions lets a workflow log into one or more remote hosts over SSH and run shell commands or a script file on them. It is commonly used to deploy code, restart services, or run maintenance tasks on servers as part of a GitHub Actions pipeline. The action is built with Golang on top of drone-ssh.
Is ssh-action free to use? What license does it have?
ssh-action is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is ssh-action still maintained?
Updated within 6 months. The last commit to ssh-action was on Aug 16, 2026.
What can I use ssh-action for?
Deploying a built application to a VPS or on-premise server after a push Restarting services or running database migrations on remote machines from CI Running maintenance scripts across a fleet of hosts in one workflow step Reaching private servers behind a bastion host from GitHub-hosted runners
How do I install ssh-action?
Add the appleboy/ssh-action workflow step with host, username, key and script inputs Store HOST, USERNAME, KEY and PORT as GitHub Secrets and reference them in the step Push to the repository to trigger the workflow and run the remote commands
Where can I get ssh-action?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/appleboy/ssh-action

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