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Stackpad Docs

Web Shell

Debug issues, inspect files, or run commands inside your containers — without SSH keys, port forwarding, or leaving your browser.

Opening a shell

  1. Open your service detail page
  2. Go to the Shell section
  3. Click Connect

A full terminal opens in your browser with access to the service’s container. You get colors, tab completion, and interactive commands — it’s a real shell, not a log viewer.

Multi-replica services

If your service has multiple replicas, a replica selector dropdown lets you choose which replica to connect to.

What you can do

  • Inspect the filesystem (ls, cat, find)
  • Check running processes (ps, top)
  • Debug networking (curl, ping, nslookup)
  • Run one-off commands (node scripts/fix.js, python manage.py shell)
  • Inspect environment variables (env, printenv)
  • Check database connectivity from inside the container

Requirements

RequirementDetail
RoleAdmin or Owner
PlanPro, Business, or Enterprise
Service typesAll except GPU and Object Storage

Session limits

  • Idle timeout: 10 minutes — the session closes automatically if you stop typing
  • Rate limit: 10 connection attempts per 60 seconds per user

Security

Shell sessions run inside the container’s own namespace:

  • No extra network ports are opened
  • No SSH daemon is installed
  • Sessions are authenticated through your Stackpad login
  • The connection uses WebSocket with the same TLS encryption as the rest of the dashboard

What’s next?