Add configuration file support for wsssh and wsscp

- Added INI-formatted config file ~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf
- Default port and domain settings for both Python and C implementations
- Command line arguments take precedence over config file
- Enhanced hostname parsing with config-based defaults
- Updated documentation and version to 1.3.0
- Updated Debian package version to 1.3.0-1

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -5,6 +5,29 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [1.3.0] - 2025-09-13
+
+### Added
+- **Configuration File Support**: Added INI-formatted config file `~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf`
+  - Default port and domain settings for wsssh and wsscp
+  - Command line arguments take precedence over config file
+  - Domain fallback to config when not specified in command line
+  - Port fallback to config when not specified via -p/-P options
+- **Enhanced CLI Flexibility**: Improved hostname parsing with config-based defaults
+  - Support for `user@client` format using config domain
+  - Support for `user@client.domain` format overriding config domain
+  - Automatic port resolution: command line > config file > error
+
+### Changed
+- **Port Precedence**: Command line `-p`/`-P` options override config file port
+- **Domain Precedence**: Command line domain specification overrides config domain
+- **Error Handling**: Better error messages when port/domain cannot be determined
+
+### Technical Details
+- **Config File Format**: Simple INI format with `[default]` section
+- **Cross-Implementation**: Consistent behavior between Python and C versions
+- **Backward Compatibility**: All existing functionality preserved
+
 ## [1.2.0] - 2025-09-13
 
 ### Changed

DOCUMENTATION.md

@@ -295,6 +295,29 @@ wsscp [SCP_OPTIONS...] SOURCE... DESTINATION
 
 ## Configuration
 
+### Config File Configuration
+
+WebSocket SSH supports an optional INI-formatted configuration file at `~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf`:
+
+```ini
+[default]
+port=8080
+domain=example.com
+```
+
+**Configuration Options:**
+- `port`: Default WebSocket server port (used when not specified via `-p`/`-P` options)
+- `domain`: Default domain suffix (used when hostname doesn't include domain)
+
+**Precedence Rules:**
+- **Port**: Command line `-p`/`-P` options override config file, config file overrides default (22)
+- **Domain**: Command line domain (e.g., `user@client.domain`) overrides config domain, config domain overrides localhost
+
+**File Location:**
+- **Path**: `~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf`
+- **Format**: Standard INI format with `[default]` section
+- **Permissions**: Readable by the user running wsssh/wsscp
+
 ### SSL Certificate Configuration
 
 The system uses SSL/TLS certificates for WebSocket encryption:

README.md

@@ -160,24 +160,29 @@ This automatically:
 
 ## Hostname Format
 
-The system uses intelligent hostname parsing:
+The system uses intelligent hostname parsing with config file support:
 
 ```
 <CLIENT_ID>.<WSSSHD_HOST>
 ```
 
-Port is specified using `-p` (SSH) or `-P` (SCP) options.
+**Supported Formats:**
+- `user@client.domain` - Full specification with domain
+- `user@client` - Uses domain from config file or defaults to localhost
+
+Port is specified using `-p` (SSH) or `-P` (SCP) options, or from config file.
 
 ### Examples:
 
 - `remote.example.com -p 9898` → Client: `remote`, Server: `example.com:9898`
 - `server.datacenter.com -P 2222` → Client: `server`, Server: `datacenter.com:2222`
 - `test.localhost -p 8080` → Client: `test`, Server: `localhost:8080`
+- `myclient` (with config domain `example.com`) → Client: `myclient`, Server: `example.com:<config_port>`
 
 ## Port Detection Priority
 
-1. **Hostname suffix**: `host:port` in the target hostname
-2. **SSH/SCP port option**: `-p <port>` (SSH) or `-P <port>` (SCP)
+1. **Command line option**: `-p <port>` (SSH) or `-P <port>` (SCP)
+2. **Config file**: `port` setting in `~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf`
 3. **Default**: `22` (standard SSH port)
 
 ## Detailed Usage
@@ -230,12 +235,15 @@ When `--web-host` and `--web-port` are specified, a web management interface is
 
 **Examples:**
 ```bash
-# Basic SSH connection
+# Basic SSH connection with explicit port and domain
 ./wsssh -p 9898 user@myclient.example.com
 
 # SSH with custom port
 ./wsssh -p 2222 user@myclient.example.com
 
+# SSH using config file defaults
+./wsssh user@myclient
+
 # SSH with options
 ./wsssh -p 9898 -i ~/.ssh/key user@myclient.example.com ls -la
 ```
@@ -252,18 +260,51 @@ When `--web-host` and `--web-port` are specified, a web management interface is
 
 **Examples:**
 ```bash
-# Copy file to remote
+# Copy file to remote with explicit port and domain
 ./wsscp -P 9898 localfile user@myclient.example.com:/remote/path/
 
 # Copy file from remote
 ./wsscp -P 9898 user@myclient.example.com:/remote/file ./localfile
 
+# Copy using config file defaults
+./wsscp localfile user@myclient:/remote/path/
+
 # Copy with custom port
 ./wsscp -P 2222 localfile user@myclient.example.com:/remote/path/
 ```
 
 ## Configuration
 
+### Config File
+
+WebSocket SSH supports an optional INI-formatted configuration file at `~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf`:
+
+```ini
+[default]
+port=8080
+domain=example.com
+```
+
+**Configuration Options:**
+- `port`: Default WebSocket server port (used when not specified via `-p`/`-P` options)
+- `domain`: Default domain suffix (used when hostname doesn't include domain)
+
+**Precedence Rules:**
+- **Port**: Command line `-p`/`-P` options override config file, config file overrides default (22)
+- **Domain**: Command line domain (e.g., `user@client.domain`) overrides config domain, config domain overrides localhost
+
+**Examples:**
+```bash
+# Uses config port 8080 and domain example.com
+./wsssh user@myclient
+
+# Uses command line port 2222, config domain example.com
+./wsssh -p 2222 user@myclient
+
+# Uses command line port 2222 and domain mydomain.com
+./wsssh -p 2222 user@myclient.mydomain.com
+```
+
 ### SSL Certificates
 
 The system uses self-signed SSL certificates for WebSocket encryption. Certificates are automatically generated during the build process if they don't exist.

wsscp.py

@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ import socket
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import uuid
+import configparser
+import os
 
 debug = False
 
@@ -164,7 +166,7 @@ async def run_scp(server_ip, server_port, client_id, local_port, scp_args):
 
     return 0
 
-def parse_hostname(hostname):
+def parse_hostname(hostname, config_domain=None):
     """Parse hostname to extract CLIENT_ID and WSSSHD_HOST"""
     # Split by dots to get client_id and wssshd_host
     parts = hostname.split('.')
@@ -174,11 +176,27 @@ def parse_hostname(hostname):
     else:
         # No domain, assume whole hostname is client_id
         client_id = hostname
-        wssshd_host = 'localhost'  # Default fallback
+        wssshd_host = config_domain if config_domain else 'localhost'  # Default fallback
 
     return client_id, wssshd_host
 
 def main():
+    # Read config file
+    config = configparser.ConfigParser()
+    config_file = os.path.expanduser("~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf")
+    config_port = None
+    config_domain = None
+    if os.path.exists(config_file):
+        config.read(config_file)
+        if 'default' in config:
+            if 'port' in config['default']:
+                try:
+                    config_port = int(config['default']['port'])
+                except ValueError:
+                    pass
+            if 'domain' in config['default']:
+                config_domain = config['default']['domain']
+
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='WebSocket SCP (wsscp)', add_help=False)
     parser.add_argument('--local-port', type=int, default=0, help='Local port for tunnel (0 = auto)')
     parser.add_argument('--debug', action='store_true', help='Enable debug output')
@@ -215,14 +233,17 @@ def main():
         sys.exit(1)
 
     if not scp_port:
-        print("Error: Could not determine wssshd port from -P option")
-        sys.exit(1)
+        if config_port:
+            scp_port = config_port
+        else:
+            print("Error: Could not determine wssshd port from -P option or config file")
+            sys.exit(1)
 
     # Use the first host for parsing
     host = hosts[0]
 
     # Parse hostname to extract client_id and wssshd_host
-    client_id, wssshd_host = parse_hostname(host)
+    client_id, wssshd_host = parse_hostname(host, config_domain)
 
     if debug:
         print(f"[DEBUG] Hosts: {hosts}")

wsssh.py

@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@ import socket
 import subprocess
 import sys
 import uuid
+import configparser
+import os
 
 debug = False
 
@@ -164,7 +166,7 @@ async def run_ssh(server_ip, server_port, client_id, local_port, ssh_args):
 
     return 0
 
-def parse_hostname(hostname):
+def parse_hostname(hostname, config_domain=None):
     """Parse hostname to extract CLIENT_ID and WSSSHD_HOST"""
     # Split by dots to get client_id and wssshd_host
     parts = hostname.split('.')
@@ -174,11 +176,27 @@ def parse_hostname(hostname):
     else:
         # No domain, assume whole hostname is client_id
         client_id = hostname
-        wssshd_host = 'localhost'  # Default fallback
+        wssshd_host = config_domain if config_domain else 'localhost'  # Default fallback
 
     return client_id, wssshd_host
 
 def main():
+    # Read config file
+    config = configparser.ConfigParser()
+    config_file = os.path.expanduser("~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf")
+    config_port = None
+    config_domain = None
+    if os.path.exists(config_file):
+        config.read(config_file)
+        if 'default' in config:
+            if 'port' in config['default']:
+                try:
+                    config_port = int(config['default']['port'])
+                except ValueError:
+                    pass
+            if 'domain' in config['default']:
+                config_domain = config['default']['domain']
+
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='WebSocket SSH (wsssh)', add_help=False)
     parser.add_argument('--local-port', type=int, default=0, help='Local port for tunnel (0 = auto)')
     parser.add_argument('--debug', action='store_true', help='Enable debug output')
@@ -218,11 +236,14 @@ def main():
         sys.exit(1)
 
     if not ssh_port:
-        print("Error: Could not determine wssshd port from -p option")
-        sys.exit(1)
+        if config_port:
+            ssh_port = config_port
+        else:
+            print("Error: Could not determine wssshd port from -p option or config file")
+            sys.exit(1)
 
     # Parse hostname to extract client_id and wssshd_host
-    client_id, wssshd_host = parse_hostname(host)
+    client_id, wssshd_host = parse_hostname(host, config_domain)
 
     if debug:
         print(f"[DEBUG] Host: {host}")

wssshtools/debian/changelog

+wsssh-tools (1.3.0-1) unstable; urgency=medium
+
+  * Version 1.3.0: Added configuration file support
+  * Added INI-formatted config file ~/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf
+  * Default port and domain settings for wsssh and wsscp
+  * Command line arguments take precedence over config file
+  * Enhanced hostname parsing with config-based defaults
+
+ -- Stefy Lanza <stefy@nexlab.net>  Fri, 13 Sep 2025 15:41:00 +0200
+
 wsssh-tools (1.0.0-1) unstable; urgency=medium
 
   * Initial release of WebSocket SSH Tools C implementation

wssshtools/wsscp.c

@@ -39,6 +39,27 @@
 #define DEFAULT_PORT 22
 #define INITIAL_FRAME_BUFFER_SIZE 8192
 
+char *read_config_value(const char *key) {
+    char *home = getenv("HOME");
+    if (!home) return NULL;
+    char path[PATH_MAX];
+    snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf", home);
+    FILE *f = fopen(path, "r");
+    if (!f) return NULL;
+    char line[256];
+    while (fgets(line, sizeof(line), f)) {
+        if (strncmp(line, key, strlen(key)) == 0 && line[strlen(key)] == '=') {
+            char *value = strdup(line + strlen(key) + 1);
+            // remove newline
+            value[strcspn(value, "\n")] = 0;
+            fclose(f);
+            return value;
+        }
+    }
+    fclose(f);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
 typedef struct {
     char *local_port;
     int debug;
@@ -134,7 +155,7 @@ int parse_args(int argc, char *argv[], wsscp_config_t *config, int *remaining_ar
     return 1;
 }
 
-int parse_hostname(const char *hostname, char **client_id, char **wssshd_host) {
+int parse_hostname(const char *hostname, char **client_id, char **wssshd_host, const char *config_domain) {
     char *colon_pos = strchr(hostname, ':');
     if (!colon_pos) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hostname format. Expected user@host: or host:\n");
@@ -157,20 +178,25 @@ int parse_hostname(const char *hostname, char **client_id, char **wssshd_host) {
 
     char *dot_pos = strchr(actual_host, '.');
     if (!dot_pos) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hostname format. Expected client.domain format\n");
-        free(host_part);
-        return 0;
+        // No domain, use config
+        if (!config_domain) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hostname format. Expected client.domain format or domain in config\n");
+            free(host_part);
+            return 0;
+        }
+        *client_id = strdup(actual_host);
+        *wssshd_host = strdup(config_domain);
+    } else {
+        *dot_pos = '\0';
+        *client_id = strdup(actual_host);
+        *wssshd_host = strdup(dot_pos + 1);
     }
-
-    *dot_pos = '\0';
-    *client_id = strdup(actual_host);
-    *wssshd_host = strdup(dot_pos + 1);
     free(host_part);
 
     return 1;
 }
 
-int parse_scp_args(int argc, char *argv[], char **destination, int *scp_port, int debug) {
+int parse_scp_args(int argc, char *argv[], char **destination, int *scp_port, int config_port, int debug) {
     *destination = NULL;
     *scp_port = DEFAULT_PORT;
 
@@ -203,6 +229,11 @@ int parse_scp_args(int argc, char *argv[], char **destination, int *scp_port, in
         return 0;
     }
 
+    // If no port found in args, use config
+    if (*scp_port == DEFAULT_PORT && config_port != 0) {
+        *scp_port = config_port;
+    }
+
     return 1;
 }
 
@@ -1023,6 +1054,12 @@ int setup_tunnel(const char *wssshd_host, int wssshd_port, const char *client_id
 }
 
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+    // Read config
+    char *config_port_str = read_config_value("port");
+    int config_port = config_port_str ? atoi(config_port_str) : 0;
+    free(config_port_str);
+    char *config_domain = read_config_value("domain");
+
     wsscp_config_t config = {
         .local_port = NULL,
         .debug = 0
@@ -1031,6 +1068,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     // Easter egg: --support option (only when it's the only argument)
     if (argc == 2 && strcmp(argv[1], "--support") == 0) {
         print_trans_flag();
+        free(config_domain);
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -1038,6 +1076,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
         if (strcmp(argv[i], "--help") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "-h") == 0) {
             print_usage(argv[0]);
+            free(config_domain);
             return 0;
         }
     }
@@ -1049,6 +1088,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     char **remaining_argv;
     if (!parse_args(argc, argv, &config, &remaining_argc, &remaining_argv)) {
         pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
+        free(config_domain);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -1063,8 +1103,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     // Parse SCP arguments to extract destination and port
     char *scp_destination = NULL;
     int scp_port = DEFAULT_PORT;
-    if (!parse_scp_args(remaining_argc, remaining_argv, &scp_destination, &scp_port, config.debug)) {
+    if (!parse_scp_args(remaining_argc, remaining_argv, &scp_destination, &scp_port, config_port, config.debug)) {
         pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
+        free(config_domain);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -1073,8 +1114,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     char *wssshd_host = NULL;
     int wssshd_port = scp_port;  // The -P port becomes the WebSocket server port
 
-    if (!parse_hostname(scp_destination, &client_id, &wssshd_host)) {
+    if (!parse_hostname(scp_destination, &client_id, &wssshd_host, config_domain)) {
         pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
+        free(config_domain);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -1581,6 +1623,7 @@ cleanup:
         }
     }
     free(new_scp_args);
+    free(config_domain);
     pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
 
     return 0;

wssshtools/wsssh.c

@@ -37,6 +37,27 @@
 #define BUFFER_SIZE 1048576
 #define DEFAULT_PORT 22
 
+char *read_config_value(const char *key) {
+    char *home = getenv("HOME");
+    if (!home) return NULL;
+    char path[PATH_MAX];
+    snprintf(path, sizeof(path), "%s/.config/wsssh/wsssh.conf", home);
+    FILE *f = fopen(path, "r");
+    if (!f) return NULL;
+    char line[256];
+    while (fgets(line, sizeof(line), f)) {
+        if (strncmp(line, key, strlen(key)) == 0 && line[strlen(key)] == '=') {
+            char *value = strdup(line + strlen(key) + 1);
+            // remove newline
+            value[strcspn(value, "\n")] = 0;
+            fclose(f);
+            return value;
+        }
+    }
+    fclose(f);
+    return NULL;
+}
+
 typedef struct {
     char *local_port;
     int debug;
@@ -168,7 +189,7 @@ int parse_args(int argc, char *argv[], wsssh_config_t *config, int *remaining_ar
     return 1;
 }
 
-int parse_hostname(const char *hostname, char **client_id, char **wssshd_host) {
+int parse_hostname(const char *hostname, char **client_id, char **wssshd_host, const char *config_domain) {
     char *at_pos = strchr(hostname, '@');
     if (!at_pos) {
         fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hostname format. Expected user@host\n");
@@ -190,20 +211,25 @@ int parse_hostname(const char *hostname, char **client_id, char **wssshd_host) {
     // Split host by dots to extract client_id
     char *dot_pos = strchr(host_copy, '.');
     if (!dot_pos) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hostname format. Expected client.domain format\n");
-        free(host_copy);
-        return 0;
+        // No domain, use config
+        if (!config_domain) {
+            fprintf(stderr, "Error: Invalid hostname format. Expected client.domain format or domain in config\n");
+            free(host_copy);
+            return 0;
+        }
+        *client_id = strdup(host_copy);
+        *wssshd_host = strdup(config_domain);
+    } else {
+        *dot_pos = '\0';
+        *client_id = strdup(host_copy);
+        *wssshd_host = strdup(dot_pos + 1);
     }
-
-    *dot_pos = '\0';
-    *client_id = strdup(host_copy);
-    *wssshd_host = strdup(dot_pos + 1);
     free(host_copy);
 
     return 1;
 }
 
-int parse_ssh_args(int argc, char *argv[], char **host, int *ssh_port, int debug) {
+int parse_ssh_args(int argc, char *argv[], char **host, int *ssh_port, int config_port, int debug) {
     *host = NULL;
     *ssh_port = DEFAULT_PORT;
 
@@ -234,6 +260,11 @@ int parse_ssh_args(int argc, char *argv[], char **host, int *ssh_port, int debug
         return 0;
     }
 
+    // If no port found in args, use config
+    if (*ssh_port == DEFAULT_PORT && config_port != 0) {
+        *ssh_port = config_port;
+    }
+
     return 1;
 }
 
@@ -905,6 +936,12 @@ int setup_tunnel(const char *wssshd_host, int wssshd_port, const char *client_id
 }
 
 int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
+    // Read config
+    char *config_port_str = read_config_value("port");
+    int config_port = config_port_str ? atoi(config_port_str) : 0;
+    free(config_port_str);
+    char *config_domain = read_config_value("domain");
+
     wsssh_config_t config = {
         .local_port = NULL,
         .debug = 0
@@ -913,6 +950,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     // Easter egg: --support option (only when it's the only argument)
     if (argc == 2 && strcmp(argv[1], "--support") == 0) {
         print_trans_flag();
+        free(config_domain);
         return 0;
     }
 
@@ -920,6 +958,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
         if (strcmp(argv[i], "--help") == 0 || strcmp(argv[i], "-h") == 0) {
             print_usage(argv[0]);
+            free(config_domain);
             return 0;
         }
     }
@@ -931,6 +970,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     char **remaining_argv;
     if (!parse_args(argc, argv, &config, &remaining_argc, &remaining_argv)) {
         pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
+        free(config_domain);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -945,8 +985,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     // Parse SSH arguments to extract host and port
     char *ssh_host = NULL;
     int ssh_port = DEFAULT_PORT;
-    if (!parse_ssh_args(remaining_argc, remaining_argv, &ssh_host, &ssh_port, config.debug)) {
+    if (!parse_ssh_args(remaining_argc, remaining_argv, &ssh_host, &ssh_port, config_port, config.debug)) {
         pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
+        free(config_domain);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -955,8 +996,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
     char *wssshd_host = NULL;
     int wssshd_port = ssh_port;  // The -p port becomes the WebSocket server port
 
-    if (!parse_hostname(ssh_host, &client_id, &wssshd_host)) {
+    if (!parse_hostname(ssh_host, &client_id, &wssshd_host, config_domain)) {
         pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
+        free(config_domain);
         return 1;
     }
 
@@ -1341,6 +1383,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
         }
     }
     free(new_ssh_args);
+    free(config_domain);
     pthread_mutex_destroy(&tunnel_mutex);
 
     return 0;