---
title: Host Console
description: An interactive terminal on your host OS, directly in the browser - no SSH required.
---

The **Console** tab opens a full interactive terminal session on the machine running Sencho. It behaves exactly like an SSH session, but without needing an SSH server, client, or key management.

<Note>
  The Host Console requires a **Sencho Admiral** license. Community and Skipper users will not see the Console tab in the navigation bar. [Learn more about licensing](/features/licensing).
</Note>

<Frame>
  <img src="/images/host-console/host-console-overview.png" alt="Host Console showing a PowerShell prompt in the COMPOSE_DIR working directory" />
</Frame>

## What it is

The Host Console gives you a real terminal session on the Sencho host, streamed to your browser over a WebSocket. It supports:

- Full colour and cursor support
- Tab completion (provided by the host shell)
- Automatic terminal resizing when you resize the browser window
- Copy and paste
- Cursor blinking

## Opening the console

Click **Console** in the top navigation bar. The session starts immediately in the `COMPOSE_DIR` root. If a stack is selected in the sidebar, the terminal opens directly inside that stack's directory instead.

The header bar shows:

- **Host Console** label with a terminal icon
- The active **node name** (e.g. "Local" or a remote node)
- The **stack name** in parentheses, if one is selected
- A green **Connected** badge while the WebSocket session is active
- A **Close Console** button on the right to end the session

Clicking **Close Console** terminates the shell process on the host and disconnects the WebSocket.

## Shell type

The shell depends on the host operating system:

- **Linux / macOS hosts:** `bash` (falls back to `sh` if bash is not available)
- **Windows hosts:** PowerShell

In a typical Docker deployment, the Sencho container runs Linux, so the console opens a `bash` shell regardless of the Docker host's OS. The PowerShell prompt shown in the screenshot above reflects a native Windows development environment.

## Availability

The Host Console is available to **admin** users on the **Admiral** tier. If your instance is on the Community or Skipper tier, the Console tab does not appear in the navigation bar at all. Attempting to access the console endpoint directly without the correct license is rejected.

## Security considerations

The Host Console has stricter access requirements than other features:

- **Browser sessions only.** API tokens used for multi-node communication cannot open a console session.
- **Admiral license required.** The license check is enforced at every layer, not just in the UI.
- **Sensitive environment variables are stripped.** Environment variables whose names suggest secrets (passwords, tokens, keys, credentials) and certain well-known database connection strings are automatically removed from the console environment. Running `env` or `printenv` inside the console will not reveal them.

<Warning>
  The Host Console provides unrestricted shell access to the machine running Sencho. Do not expose Sencho on a public network without HTTPS and strong authentication.
</Warning>

## Common uses

- Inspecting files in your `COMPOSE_DIR` without leaving the browser
- Running `docker compose logs --follow` or `docker ps` directly
- Editing files with `nano` or `vim` for quick fixes
- Running maintenance scripts or one-off commands on the host
