KHM - Known Hosts Manager

KHM is a comprehensive SSH key management tool that allows you to synchronize known_hosts files across multiple hosts and environments. The application supports multiple operation modes: server mode for centralized key storage, client mode for synchronization, and GUI mode for easy management.

Features

• Multi-mode operation: Server, client, and GUI modes
• Centralized key management: Store SSH keys and flows in PostgreSQL database
• Cross-platform GUI: Modern tray application with settings window
• Automatic synchronization: Keep known_hosts files updated across environments
• Flow-based organization: Manage different environments (production, staging, development)
• Authentication support: Basic authentication for secure API access
• Real-time monitoring: Auto-sync capabilities with configurable intervals

Operation Modes

Server Mode

Runs a web server that stores and manages SSH keys in a PostgreSQL database.

khm --server --ip 0.0.0.0 --port 1337 --db-host psql.psql.svc --db-name khm --db-user admin --db-password <SECRET> --flows work,home

Client Mode

Connects to a KHM server to send local keys and optionally sync the known_hosts file.

khm --host https://khm.example.com --flow work --known-hosts ~/.ssh/known_hosts --in-place

GUI Mode

Launches a system tray application with a modern interface for easy management.

# Run tray application
khm --gui

# Run settings window only
khm --settings-ui

Command Line Arguments

General Options

• --server - Run in server mode
• --gui - Run with GUI tray interface
• --settings-ui - Run settings UI window (used with --gui)

Server Mode Options

• -i, --ip <IP> - IP address to bind the server to [default: 127.0.0.1]
• -p, --port <PORT> - Port to bind the server to [default: 8080]
• --flows <FLOWS> - Comma-separated list of flows to manage [default: default]
• --db-host <DB_HOST> - PostgreSQL database hostname [default: 127.0.0.1]
• --db-name <DB_NAME> - PostgreSQL database name [default: khm]
• --db-user <DB_USER> - PostgreSQL database username (required)
• --db-password <DB_PASSWORD> - PostgreSQL database password (required)

Client Mode Options

• --host <HOST> - Server URL (e.g., https://khm.example.com) (required)
• --flow <FLOW> - Flow name to use on the server (required)
• --known-hosts <PATH> - Path to known_hosts file [default: ~/.ssh/known_hosts]
• --in-place - Update known_hosts file with server keys after sync
• --basic-auth <CREDENTIALS> - Basic authentication (format: user:pass)

GUI Features

The GUI mode provides:

• System Tray Integration: Runs quietly in the system tray
• Settings Management: Easy configuration through modern UI
• Connection Testing: Built-in server connectivity testing
• Manual Synchronization: On-demand sync operations
• Auto-sync Configuration: Configurable automatic synchronization intervals
• Operation Logging: Real-time activity monitoring
• Cross-platform Paths: Automatic path handling for different operating systems

Installation

From Binary Releases

Download the latest binary from the Releases page.

From Source

1. Install Rust from rustup.rs
2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/house-of-vanity/khm.git
   cd khm
   

3. Build and run:

   # Build both binaries (CLI without GUI, Desktop with GUI)
   cargo build --release --bin khm --no-default-features --features cli
   cargo build --release --bin khm-desktop
   
   # Or build all at once with default features
   cargo build --release
   

System Dependencies

For GUI features on Linux:

# Build dependencies
sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-dev libglib2.0-dev libcairo2-dev libpango1.0-dev libatk1.0-dev libgdk-pixbuf2.0-dev

Configuration

GUI Configuration

Settings are automatically saved to:

• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.khm\khm_config.json
• macOS: ~/.khm/khm_config.json
• Linux: ~/.khm/khm_config.json

Example Configuration

{
  "host": "https://khm.example.com",
  "flow": "production",
  "known_hosts": "/home/user/.ssh/known_hosts",
  "basic_auth": "",
  "in_place": true,
  "auto_sync_interval_minutes": 60
}

Examples

Complete Server Setup

# Start server with multiple flows
khm --server \
    --ip 0.0.0.0 \
    --port 8080 \
    --db-host localhost \
    --db-name khm \
    --db-user khm_user \
    --db-password secure_password \
    --flows production,staging,development

Client Synchronization

# Send keys and update local known_hosts
khm --host https://khm.company.com \
    --flow production \
    --known-hosts ~/.ssh/known_hosts \
    --in-place \
    --basic-auth "username:password"

GUI Usage

# Launch tray application
khm --gui

# Open settings window directly
khm --settings-ui

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the WTFPL License - see the LICENSE file for details.