relay-tty vs tmux & SSH¶
relay-tty fills a different niche than tmux or SSH. Here's when each makes sense.
The problem¶
You start a long-running command on your computer. You want to check on it from your phone. Or share it with a colleague. Or just not lose it when you close your laptop.
Traditional solutions require:
- tmux/screen: Terminal knowledge, key bindings to learn, no mobile access
- SSH: Network configuration, port forwarding, firewall rules, key management
- VS Code Remote: Heavy IDE, not great on mobile, requires SSH
What relay-tty does differently¶
| Feature | relay-tty | tmux + SSH | VS Code Remote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile access | Browser, PWA | SSH client app | VS Code app |
| Setup | npm i -g relay-tty | SSH server + tmux | SSH + VS Code |
| Public sharing | One command | SSH tunneling | Not built-in |
| Learning curve | Minimal | Moderate | Low-moderate |
| Multiple viewers | Built-in | tmux -t flag | Live Share |
| Session persistence | Automatic | tmux session | Reconnect |
| Touch input | Optimized | Poor | Decent |
When to use relay-tty¶
- You want to check on commands from your phone
- You want to share a terminal with someone who doesn't have SSH access
- You want a persistent session without learning tmux keybindings
- You're teaching someone and want them to watch your terminal via a link
- You want a browser-based terminal that feels native on mobile
When to use tmux¶
- You need local session management with splits and windows
- You're already on the server via SSH and want persistence
- You need tmux-specific features (copy mode, layouts, scripting)
When to use SSH¶
- You need direct shell access to a remote machine
- You're doing system administration on servers
- You need to transfer files (scp, sftp)
They're complementary¶
relay-tty doesn't replace tmux — it gives tmux sessions a browser UI. You can run tmux inside a relay-tty session and get the best of both worlds: tmux's session management with relay-tty's browser access and sharing.