Web Console

Need to access your Cassette but don't have SSH set up yet? The web console gives you instant terminal access directly in your browser.

Accessing the Console

From your instance page, click the Console button in the top right. That's it.

You'll get a full terminal session running as the cassette user with sudo privileges. No SSH keys, no configuration, no setup required.

What You Can Do

Everything you'd normally do via SSH:
- Install packages with apt
- Edit files with nano or vim
- Check logs with journalctl
- Restart services with systemctl
- Run deployment scripts
- Debug issues in real-time

Common Use Cases

First-time setup - Get into your instance immediately after provisioning to install your stack.

SSH troubleshooting - Locked out? Use the console to fix SSH config or reset keys.

Quick checks - Need to tail logs or restart a service? Click, type, done.

Emergency access - Something went wrong? The console always works, even if networking is misconfigured.

Tips

Copy/paste works - Use Ctrl+Shift+V (or Cmd+Shift+V on Mac) to paste commands into the console.

Sessions persist - Close the tab and your session stays alive. Reopen the console to pick up where you left off.

Still set up SSH - The console is great for quick access, but SSH is faster and more reliable for regular work. See SSH Setup when you're ready.

Limitations

No file uploads - Can't drag-and-drop files into the console. Use curl, wget, or SSH for file transfers.

Single session - Opening multiple console windows to the same instance shares the same session.

Network dependent - Obviously requires your browser to be online. For truly critical access, SSH is more reliable.

Security

Console sessions are:
- Encrypted end-to-end
- Tied to your Cassette account authentication
- Automatically logged out after inactivity
- Only accessible to users with permission to access the instance

The console uses the same authentication as the rest of the Cassette platform. No separate passwords or keys needed.

When to Use Console vs SSH

Use the console when:
- You're just getting started
- You need quick access from any device
- SSH isn't working and you need to debug
- You don't want to set up keys right now

Use SSH when:
- You're doing regular development work
- You need to transfer files
- You want to use local terminal tools
- You're scripting or automating tasks

Most developers use both - console for quick checks and emergencies, SSH for everything else.