ssh_compose_pro/README.md

# SSH Compose Pro

Streamline repetitive ssh config files with trait-style property inheritance!

ssh_config+ is meant for users with very large and repetitive ssh configs. This
includes templating, an inheretence-style way of copying fields, and for loops
to reduce repetitive lines.

See the `example/` directory for an idea of capabilities, but here's a snippet:

```yaml
__preamble:
  ssh_props:
    Port: 22
    IdentitiesOnly: yes
    ForwardX11: no

__uni_template:
  template: __preamble
  ssh_props:
    IdentityFile: ~/.ssh/computer_labs_key
    User: emiliko

undergrad:
  template: __uni_template
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: ug22.cs.ualberta.ca

ohaton:
  template: __uni_template
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: ohaton.cs.ualberta.ca

coronation:
  template: __uni_template
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: coronation.cs.ualberta.ca
```

# Quick Start

```bash
mv ~/.ssh/config ~/.ssh/config_og
python3 src/ssh_config_to_yaml.py ~/.ssh/config_og --out ~/.ssh/config.yaml
# Do some edits on ~/.ssh/config.yaml. The migration script won't compress
# things with for-loops or templates. Then...
python3 ~/.ssh/config.yaml --out ~/.ssh/config
```

As a proof of concept, you can even chain the scripts! The order of hosts will
change, but the config should function identically!

```bash
python3 src/main.py <(python3 src/ssh_config_to_yaml.py ~/.ssh/config)
```

# Rules

The `src/ssh_config_to_yaml.py` script will assist in quickly migrating your
existing config.

## SSH Properties

Standard SSH config properties go under the `ssh_props` heading for every host.
For example:

```sshconfig
Host github.com
    Hostname github.com
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/github_main
    LocalForward 3306 localhost:3306
    LocalForward 3302 localhost:3302
    LocalForward 3000 localhost:3000
```

Becomes:

```yaml
github.com:
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: github.com
    IdentityFile: ~/.ssh/github_main
    LocalForward:
      - 3306 localhost:3306
      - 3302 localhost:3302
      - 3000 localhost:3000
```

Note that yaml does not support duplicate keys, so keys can take a list of
properties instead to mimic repeated keys, as seen above.

## Templates

Templates are "default" properties inherited from another host. Templates must
be declared above the host that uses it. You can make a template-only host by
declaring it with `__` at the start of the name. You can also use another host
as a template.

```yaml
__preamble:
  ssh_props:
    Port: 22
    IdentitiesOnly: yes
    ForwardX11: no

#############################################################################
# Uni Computers
#############################################################################
__uni_template:
  template: __preamble
  ssh_props:
    IdentityFile: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    User: emiliko

ohaton:
  template: __uni_template
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: ohaton.cs.ualberta.ca

coronation:
  # Using __uni_template here would make more sense, but ohaton works too
  template: ohaton
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: coronation.cs.ualberta.ca
```

Will generate:

```sshconfig
Host ohaton:
    ForwardX11 false
    Hostname ohaton.cs.ualberta.ca
    IdentitiesOnly true
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    Port 22
    User emiliko

Host coronation:
    ForwardX11 false
    Hostname coronation.cs.ualberta.ca
    IdentitiesOnly true
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    Port: 22
    User emiliko
```

As a note, properties inherited from templates will be overwritten entirely,
even if they're multi-valued. For example:

```yaml
__uni:
  ssh_props:
   LocalForward:
    - 3306 localhost:3306
    - 3302 localhost:3302
    - 3000 localhost:3000

ohaton:
  template: __uni
  ssh_props:
      LocalForward:
       - 9000 localhost:9000
```

Will overwrite all the `LocalForward` properties provided by the `__uni`
template, generating:

```sshconfig
Host ohaton
    LocalForward 9000 localhost:9000
```

## For loops

For loops allow simple substitution of a single variable over a range or set of
values. Ranges must be numerical, but sets can be any arbitrary string. Multiple
different for loops can be declared under the `for` section.

```yaml
orca:
  ssh_props:
    Hostname: 10.42.43.1
    User: emiliko
  for:
    - variable: port
      range: [9026, 9042, 1]
      property: LocalForward
      template: ${port} localhost:${port}
    - variable: env
      iter: ["FOO=bar", "BAR=foo"]
      property: SendEnv
      template: ${env}
```

Expands to:

```sshconfig
Host orca
    Hostname 10.42.43.1
    LocalForward 9026 localhost:9026
    LocalForward 9027 localhost:9027
    LocalForward 9028 localhost:9028
    LocalForward 9029 localhost:9029
    LocalForward 9030 localhost:9030
    LocalForward 9031 localhost:9031
    LocalForward 9032 localhost:9032
    LocalForward 9033 localhost:9033
    LocalForward 9034 localhost:9034
    LocalForward 9035 localhost:9035
    LocalForward 9036 localhost:9036
    LocalForward 9037 localhost:9037
    LocalForward 9038 localhost:9038
    LocalForward 9039 localhost:9039
    LocalForward 9040 localhost:9040
    LocalForward 9041 localhost:9041
    SendEnv FOO=bar
    SendEnv BAR=foo
    User emiliko
```

For loops can be part of templates