This guide shows how to configure SSH shell access — shell type, terminal executable, and home directory — through the Web Admin or config.yaml. For background on the available shell types and their implications, see SSH Access.

By default, the server uses the none shell type — a minimal shell limited to SCP transfers within the user's path mappings. The steps below show how to switch to a full interactive terminal either globally or for a single user.

Configure via the Web Admin

Change the server-wide default

1. Log in to the Web Administration and navigate to the Server configuration ⇒ SSH shell section.
2. Under Default SSH shell behavior, uncheck Use default and select Terminal shell. (The other options are No shell — the default minimal shell — and Legacy shell — minimal shell with SSH aliases.)
3. Fill in the Terminal settings:
   • Default shell executable path — e.g., C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe.
   • Default shell home directory — the working directory for new sessions.
   • Allow terminal process running under SYSTEM account — only tick this if you understand the security implications.
4. Click Save and restart to apply the changes.

Change per user

1. Navigate to Users and click the user you want to modify.
2. Under SSH shell settings, uncheck Use server default and select the desired shell type.
3. If you selected Terminal shell, fill in Shell path and Home directory, or leave them empty to inherit the server-wide defaults.
4. Click Update user.

Configure via CLI

Change the server-wide default

The server-wide defaults are defined in the sshShell section of config.yaml:

sshShell:
  defaultShellType: terminal
  defaultShellPath: 'C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe'
  defaultHomeDirectory: 'C:\Users\Public'
  allowSystemAccount: false

burusftp svc restart

net stop RebexBuruSftp && net start RebexBuruSftp

Restart-Service RebexBuruSftp

Change per user

Per-user overrides are set with burusftp user add or burusftp user update:

# Give an existing user a PowerShell terminal
burusftp user update alice --shell-type terminal --shell-path "C:\Windows\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" --shell-home "C:\Users\alice"

# Keep the server default but pin a custom home directory
burusftp user update bob --shell-home "D:\work"

Omitting --shell-path or --shell-home falls back to the server-wide defaults.

See also

• SSH Access — shell types, terminal settings, and security considerations
• sshShell reference — all shell configuration options
• Enable SSH/SFTP — configure endpoints and host keys
• Manage Users (Web Admin), Manage Users (CLI) — full user management