# Web terminal

> Open a shell on any Falak-managed server from the browser through the agent — no SSH port or key needed — with shared sessions, recordings and timeouts.

Source: https://falak.sh/docs/guides/terminal/

The web terminal opens a shell on a server through its agent. It works even when SSH is closed, because the agent dials out to Falak. Sessions are recorded and can be shared with colleagues.

![The web terminal: a server picker and an xterm session running in the browser.](./_images/terminal.png)

## Open a session

1. Open the server page → **Terminal** (or <kbd>⌘K</kbd> → Terminal).
2. Pick the Linux user (default `root`; `FALAK_TERMINAL_DEFAULT_USER` changes the default).
3. Start typing. The terminal is `xterm-256color` running `/bin/bash`.

Only members with `terminal.open` (owners and admins) can open sessions.

## Sharing and recordings

| Action | Permission |
|---|---|
| Open your own sessions | `terminal.open` |
| Mark a session **shared** so others can watch it | the session owner |
| Watch other members' shared sessions | `terminal.attach` |
| Type into and close sessions opened by others | `terminal.control` |
| Replay other members' recordings | `terminal.recordings.view` |

Every session is recorded and can be replayed later from the terminal list.

## Timeouts

| Setting | Default | Variable |
|---|---|---|
| Idle timeout (no keystrokes or output) | 900 s | `FALAK_TERMINAL_IDLE_TIMEOUT` |
| Maximum session length | 3600 s (Fleet's hard limit for a command) | `FALAK_TERMINAL_MAX_DURATION` |

## SSH instead

Prefer your own terminal? Add your public key under **Settings → SSH keys** (it is synced to the `falak` user on every server), then:

```bash
falak ssh app-1
```

See [SSH keys](/docs/servers/ssh-keys/).

## Limits

- The web terminal is covered by unit and feature tests, not yet by the end-to-end suite.
- Input is limited to 16 KiB per request; very large pastes are split.

## Next steps