Brad

SimpleSSM - Terminal for AWS Systems Manager

by
Managing EC2 instances shouldn't feel like defusing a bomb. SimpleSSM is a macOS app that uses AWS Systems Manager (SSM) to give you instant terminal access to any EC2 instance - no SSH keys to manage, no ports to open, no bastion hosts to maintain. Just click, connect, and get to work. Whether you're a solo developer who hops into instances a few times a week, or a DevOps engineer managing a fleet of servers, SimpleSSM removes the friction so you can focus on the actual work.

Add a comment

Replies

Best
Brad
Hunter
📌
I'm Brad, and I built SimpleSSM out of personal frustration. I manage many EC2 servers accross several different AWS accounts. We killed SSH years ago and now only rely on Systems Manager (SSM) to connect to a terminal. Every time I needed to jump on an instance, I had to look up the instance id of the currently running servers in the load balancer target group and run the command in a local terminal. Or I would just connect via the console if I was logged into the right account. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up if you do it several times a day. I couldn't find a good native Mac app where you can see all of your Instances from all of your accounts and simply one-click start a SSM terminal. Most of my client's accounts use API keys, but some used Identity Center to authenticate, which really narrowed the options. So I built this app and I use it every day. It supports multiple accounts and authentication methods. It auto updates the currently running instances, so if a new one spins up it is quickly available. It makes it very easy to open a terminal to your instances from your Mac. I built this for myself, and now I use it every single day. If you're an AWS developer or DevOps engineer who's tired of the friction, I think you'll love it. Would love to hear your feedback - what would make this indispensable for your workflow?