ShellPad

Free SSH & Telnet Client for Android

A clean, secure terminal client that does what the others don't - proper terminal emulation, tabbed sessions, and no password storage by default. Built by developers, for developers.

Download APK Features

Features

🔒

SSH & Telnet

Full SSH2 with password, keyboard-interactive, and private key auth. Telnet for legacy systems.

📑

Tabbed Sessions

Multiple concurrent connections with swipeable tabs. Switch between servers instantly.

🖥️

Real Terminal

Full xterm.js emulator. Runs vim, htop, tmux, Claude CLI - not just basic text output.

🔑

No Stored Passwords

Default "Plain" mode - server prompts for password in terminal. Your credentials never touch the app.

🛡️

Host Key Verification

Trust On First Use (TOFU) SSH fingerprint verification. Warns on key changes (MITM detection).

⌨️

Special Keys Bar

ESC, TAB, CTRL, arrows, copy/paste, and common shell characters (~ $ _ | / -) always accessible.

🔐

Encrypted Storage

Optional saved passwords encrypted with AES-256-GCM. Key stored in Android Keystore.

🌙

Catppuccin Theme

Beautiful dark Mocha theme with 256-color and truecolor support. Easy on the eyes.

📡

Background Sessions

Sessions stay alive when you switch apps. Foreground service + wake lock keep connections active.

Authentication Options

Method	How It Works	Password Stored?
Plain (default)	Server prompts in terminal. You type password there.	No
Saved Password	Password encrypted and stored on device.	Yes (AES-256)
Private Key	PEM key file for key-based auth.	No
Key + Passphrase	Private key with encrypted passphrase.	Passphrase only

Screenshots

Saved Connections

SSH Connection Setup

Host Key Verification

Terminal Session

New Connection

Protocol Options

Download

Version: 1.0.25

Requires: Android 8.0+ (API 26)

Price: Free (ad-supported)

Download APK v1.0.25

Security

✓ SSH host key verification (TOFU) with MITM change detection
✓ AES-256-GCM encryption for saved credentials (Android Keystore backed)
✓ Android backup disabled - credentials can't be extracted via adb
✓ No analytics, no telemetry, no tracking
✓ Host/port input validation (prevents injection)
✓ URI handler requires user confirmation before connecting
✓ ProGuard/R8 obfuscation in release builds

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ShellPad support SSH private key authentication?

Yes. ShellPad supports RSA and Ed25519 private keys in PEM format. Choose 'Private Key' or 'Key + Passphrase' as your auth method and paste the key content. The passphrase is stored encrypted with AES-256-GCM backed by Android Keystore.

Can I connect to a server that uses a non-standard SSH port?

Yes. Each connection has a configurable Port field. Set it to any port your SSH server listens on — 2222, 8022, or anything else.

Does it work on Android 8 / older Android versions?

ShellPad requires Android 8.0 (API 26) or higher. It's been tested on Android 8 through Android 14.

What happens if my connection drops mid-session?

ShellPad runs a foreground service with a wake lock to keep connections alive when you switch apps. If the network drops, the session will disconnect and you can reconnect from the connections list. There is no automatic reconnect — this is intentional so you always know the state of your session.

Can I use ShellPad to connect to GitHub, AWS, or other cloud services over SSH?

Yes. Any SSH server is supported. For GitHub, use your SSH key and the standard github.com endpoint. For AWS EC2, use your .pem key file and the instance's public IP. ShellPad works with any standard OpenSSH server.

Does ShellPad send my passwords or keys anywhere?

No. All credential storage is local on your device, encrypted with AES-256-GCM using a key stored in the Android Keystore. No data is transmitted to DevPulse servers. ShellPad has no analytics, no telemetry, and no crash reporting.

Can I have multiple sessions open at once?

Yes. ShellPad supports tabbed sessions — open several connections simultaneously and swipe between them. Each tab is an independent terminal session.

Is Telnet supported?

Yes. Select Telnet as the protocol when creating a connection. Telnet has no encryption — only use it on networks you trust or for legacy devices that don't support SSH.