Submitted by Bob Bhatnagar on
Whether your iPhone is jailbroken or not, a decent SSH client can be useful to access other machines on the go. Jailbreakers can use an SSH app to browse and manipulate files directly on their Phones from the iOS command prompt. A popular app, Mobile Terminal serves this purpose but can't be installed directly from Cydia in iOS 4 or 5.
There is a workaround to install Mobile Terminal which is great because it's free. If you're looking for an easier alternative, Prompt comes to us from the App Store and can be installed on jailbroken or non-jailbroken iPhones.
The best part is if your iPhone is jailbroken, just like with Mobile Terminal you can browse the filesystem on your iPhone using the command line via Prompt. Of course, you must have the OpenSSH package installed from Cydia first. Opening a terminal window into your device is simple, just connect with Prompt using the following settings:
Server: 127.0.0.1
Username: root
Password: alpine
If you're willing to spend the money (currently $7.99), Panic Inc. has packed their app Prompt with features that will work universally with an iPad or iPhone running iOS 4 or later. Some of the highlights include:
Newest iPhone FAQs
Customizable Keys - Set your most-used special characters and speed-boost your typing.
Key Pair Support - Load a DSA or RSA keyfile into Prompt for password-free login.
Passcode Lock - Set a Prompt-specific password to protect your active connections.
Multiple Connections - Keep sessions open, even when Prompt is in the background.
Bonjour Server Detection - Automatically discover local SSH servers with a single tap.
Prompt also supports Bluetooth keyboards (including special keys) and provides excellent VT100 compatibility. Prompt is available now from the App Store, or follow these instructions to install Mobile Terminal for free.