https://social.treehouse.systems/@astraleureka/115844218496725551
we are already at version 259
this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2026
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Op is a bit confused, but here's a primer first:
SSH stands for Secure SHell and is a protocol to logon to a terminal shell via network.
You need to have an SSHd (or Secure SHell Daemon i.e a background service) running to accept and facilitate connections.
Systemd is a suite of services and tools that manage a Linux system, like a init system, service management, handing run levels, socket management, logging etc and gives the user tools like systemctl, journalctl, bootctl, basically anything ending with ctl is conventionally a systemd tool for users to manage their systems with.
Get it? Got it? Good.
systemd.autossh is an embedded ssh client in systemd that tries to help in reestablishing dropping connections. It does not actually start an SSHd (the actual service that facilitates connections) and is embedded for convenience to minimize frustrations with dropping connections.
You can read about it here.
No, it seems you are a bit confused.
You are talking about autossh, which is a completely different third-party SSH client tool that you have to install separately (as the link you shared describes) to have persistent SSH client connections and has nothing to do with systemd other than that you can start it as a systemd service (like any other third-party service).
OP is talking about systemd-ssh-generator, which is described here by Lennart Poettering (author of systemd) as working exactly as OP described it.
*defeatedly puts away torch and pitchfork
*kicks dirt
Shucks I never get to be mad about systemd!
Just be mad at systemd the same way everyone else is; invent your own reality and throw a fit about that instead!
Every day I wake up and think to myself “today is the day I will form a strong opinion about systemd” but it never happens.
It's upsetting for systemd users too, not having angry haters to go "See!?!!" back at.
I can't believe you're dissing systemd indirectly by dissing the reaction of systemd users to the reaction of the users that hate systemd.
To any neutral observers out there: See!?!! This is the kind of crap we get from the haters.
/s of course, I have no skin in this game. Any time I mess with init systems, I have to look up usage, no matter the system involved, and I haven't run into anything too onerous.
Yeah. Just don't interact with them often enough to remember and build muscle memory. Though, runit is very nice, very simple. E.g.
sv up thingI do have some usage interaction, so ease of script writing is the most important for me.
I've heard of runit.. ..one of the inits impressed me recently in regard to script writing - maybe what's used on OpenWRT. But, I don't remember if that was runit. You can tell how vested i am here. XD
Op actually writes about systemd-ssh-generaror which does exactly what they describe it's just not a whole story or it won't be this inflammatory (or interesting at all).
Tap for spoiler
Also why shouldn't things use kernel cmd? Is it taboo? Only good guys are allowed to use it, not bad horrible systemd?So systemd.autossh is running even if sshd.service is disabled?
Given that it helps with ssh client connections and sshd is, basically, a server—yes. And even then, I imagine it doesn't actually do anything if there's no ssh connection.
Heya thanks so much for that explanation, took a couple read throughs and some thinking but I think I get it!
The time ans thought you put into that are much appreciated and so emblematic of the awesome nature of the linux world.
Thanks again!