Bulk Import Servers

Use a JSON file to add several servers in one import. Each array item describes one server, including its connection method and optional grouping or startup settings.

JSON format

Security warning

Import files are plain text and may contain credentials. Keep them out of shared folders and source control, and remove them as soon as the import is complete.

• Prefer an SSH key already stored in the App and reference it with pubKeyId; do not put private key material in this file.
• If a password or token must be included, restrict access to the file and delete it immediately after import.
• Add any import file to .gitignore. Never commit it, even if you think its credentials are temporary.

[
  {
    "name": "My Server",
    "ssh": {
      "ip": "example.com",
      "port": 22,
      "user": "root",
      "pubKeyId": ""
    },
    "tags": ["production"],
    "autoConnect": false
  }
]

SSH settings belong in the ssh object. This nested layout is used by the App’s exports and by the import dialog example.

For backward compatibility, import also accepts the older flat layout, where fields such as ip, port, and user are at the top level. This keeps files from older releases and ~/.ssh/config imports usable. New exports use the nested layout above.

Fields

Field	Required	Description
name	Yes	Server name shown in the App
ssh	No	SSH configuration; omit for a server configured only through Monitor HTTP
monitorHttp	No	Monitor agent configuration: addr, user, pwd, ignoreCert, allowInsecure
preferredTransport	No	Which transport leads when both SSH and Monitor HTTP are configured: ssh or monitorHttp. SSH leads when omitted
tags	No	Tags used to group servers
autoConnect	No	Connect automatically when the App starts
custom	No	Per-server extras such as preferTempDev and logoUrl
pve	No	Proxmox VE configuration; see below
wolCfg	No	Wake-on-LAN configuration
envs	No	Environment variables for the SSH terminal only
customSystemType	No	Skip automatic system-type detection
disabledCmdTypes	No	Status commands to skip on this server
id	No	Stable server ID; omitted or empty values are generated during import

The following fields belong inside ssh:

Field	Required	Description
ip	Yes	Domain name or IP address
port	Yes	SSH port, usually 22
user	Yes	SSH username
pwd	No	Password; not recommended, use an SSH key instead
fileTransport	No	Which protocol carries files: sftp or scp. Defaults to sftp; use scp for a host with no SFTP subsystem
pubKeyId	No	ID of a private key stored in the App, not a PEM file path
keyPath	No	Desktop-only private-key path produced by a ~/.ssh/config import; read from disk when connecting
alterUrl	No	Fallback address in the form user@ip:port
jumpIds	No	Jump-server chain specified by server ID
proxyCommand	No	ProxyCommand; desktop only and mutually exclusive with jumpIds

The following fields belong inside pve:

Field	Required	Description
addr	Yes	PVE web address, for example https://127.0.0.1:8006; the host is resolved on the server’s side of the connection
auth	No	token or password. Defaults to password
tokenId	For token	API token ID in the form user@realm!tokenid
tokenSecret	For token	The token’s secret; a credential, so treat the file as one
pwd	No	For password: the PVE password of the SSH user in the pam realm. Omit it to reuse the SSH password
certSha256	No	SHA-256 of the certificate to trust, lowercase hex. Omit it to confirm the certificate on the first connection

Older exports may put pveAddr, pveIgnoreCert, and pvePwd inside custom. Import still recognizes those fields and converts them to password authentication without a pinned certificate. This legacy format is for import compatibility; current exports use pve.

A server needs at least one connection method. If both ssh and monitorHttp are omitted, the imported record cannot connect to a host.

allowInsecure defaults to false. Set it only if you intend this Monitor connection to use plaintext HTTP, including when the address is a private non-loopback IP. The Monitor agent separately enforces its own allow_insecure setting for sensitive endpoints.

Import steps

1. Create a JSON array containing the server records.
2. Open Settings → Backup → Import → Server.
3. Select the JSON file.
4. Check the displayed server count and confirm the import.
5. Remove the import file and any copies as soon as the import finishes.

Example

[
  {
    "name": "Production",
    "ssh": {
      "ip": "prod.example.com",
      "port": 22,
      "user": "admin",
      "pubKeyId": "my-key"
    },
    "tags": ["production", "web"]
  },
  {
    "name": "Development",
    "ssh": {
      "ip": "dev.example.com",
      "port": 2222,
      "user": "dev",
      "pubKeyId": "dev-key"
    },
    "tags": ["development"]
  },
  {
    "name": "Behind NAT",
    "monitorHttp": {
      "addr": "https://10.0.0.5:3770",
      "user": "admin"
    },
    "tags": ["monitor"]
  }
]

After importing, test each connection and confirm that the expected tags and transport settings appear on the server records.