Complete guide to deploying, configuring, and using CommandGuard for secure SSH command management
CommandGuard is designed for simple on-premise deployment using Docker Compose:
CommandGuard uses minimal system resources and stores all configuration in the private_files directory.
All data stays on your infrastructure - no external dependencies or cloud services required.
Define and manage SSH connections to your servers with support for multiple authentication methods:
Secure password storage with encryption at rest
Support for private key authentication with passphrase
SSH credentials are encrypted using AES-256 and stored locally in your infrastructure. CommandGuard never transmits credentials outside your network.
Group related commands into sets for better organization and permission management:
User-friendly names for complex commands (e.g., "Restart PHP-FPM" for systemctl restart php-fpm)
Stream command output in real-time with optional filtering
Support for parameterized commands and scripts
Granular Permissions: Assign specific command sets to individual users. For example, "Brandon" can only restart PHP-FPM on the web server, while "Lilly" can only trigger backups on the database server.
Time-based One-Time Password authentication adds an extra security layer:
Restrict access based on IP addresses for enhanced security:
Control when users can access the system:
Configure webhooks to receive real-time notifications when commands are executed:
{
"command": "systemctl restart nginx",
"connection": "web-server-01",
"user": "brandon",
"timestamp": "2025-08-10T09:30:00Z",
"status": "success",
"output": "nginx.service restarted successfully",
"execution_time": "1.23s"
}
Send command results to Slack channels
Update Datadog, Prometheus metrics
Auto-close tickets on completion
Trigger deployments and builds
Enable HTTP invocation for commands to integrate with external tools, automation platforms, and CI/CD pipelines:
Each command gets a unique, secure URL with API key authentication
API key-based authentication with optional IP restrictions
Support for both sync and async command execution
Create powerful automation workflows by connecting CommandGuard with N8N's visual workflow builder.
Integrate with Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions for deployment automation and infrastructure management.
Call CommandGuard APIs from your Python, Node.js, or bash scripts for custom automation solutions.
Every action in CommandGuard is logged with complete details for compliance and security auditing:
Cannot be modified or deleted
Configurable log retention periods
CSV, JSON export for analysis
Search by date, user, event type
/api/cmd/{command_id}
Execute a specific command
Headers:
X-API-Key: your-api-key
/api/status/{execution_id}
Get command execution status
Response:
{"status": "running", "output": "partial output...", "progress": 45}
/api/commands
List all available commands for the authenticated user
Response:
[{"id": "abc123", "name": "Restart Nginx", "connection": "web-server"}]
Full API documentation with interactive examples is available at /api/docs when logged in as an administrator.
Deploy CommandGuard in minutes and transform your SSH management