If you ask any Windows user, they will tell you how PuTTY is a must-have tool for your home lab, and a go-to SSH client since the beginning of time. It's certainly one of the most reliable ways of connecting to remote servers, and its open-source nature means that it has become popular among developers and enthusiasts. That said, PuTTY isn't perfect. It has a dated interface that needs a massive overhaul. There's only a single window which is poor for workflow management, and the customization options are extremely limited. Owing to this, you may have felt like looking for a better alternative to PuTTY, but you were probably too reluctant considering how you were so used to the app.

Thankfully, though, I recently came across what I feel is the perfect alternative to PuTTY that not only solves its problems but also does it while maintaining the same, user-friendly approach. Tabby — as the name suggests — is a tab-based terminal app for local shells, SSH, and Telnet connections. This means you don't have to open multiple instances of the app for different servers and clutter your desktop. Tabby allows you to run them in different tabs, while also providing several customization options. The best part is that, unlike PuTTY, Tabby is cross-platform — so you can use it on Windows, macOS, and Linux. If you've been a hardcore PuTTY fan all these years — I know it's hard — but here's why you need to switch to Tabby right away.

Why did I switch

The advantages are too many

Apart from the issues with customization that I could honestly look past, I needed a tool that could handle multiple connections in a more efficient manner. Imagine having four tabs open on your desktop occupying so much space. That's when I started looking for alternatives. The moment I saw Tabby's tabbed UI, I knew I had to give it a shot. Apart from that, Tabby supports SSH, Telnet, serial, and local shell connections — making it a versatile tool. Using the tab-based interface almost feels like using a web browser, or Windows Explorer with tabs. Apart from tabs, Tabby also lets you use a split view for side-by-side panes.

Then comes the ability to customize themes, fonts, and layouts. You can position tabs on any side of the window, pick between different colors to match your aesthetic, and even assign hotkeys to perform a frequently used function. For someone who spends a large part of their day sitting in front of a boring terminal window, such additions can spruce things up. If you're not too big on customization, another issue that Tabby solves is with the help of a built-in SSH client and connection manager. Unlike PuTTY, you don't have to key in manual configurations for each session.

Getting started with Tabby

Carry over from where you left off

Installing Tabby is as simple as heading to the official site, downloading the relevant installation file for your OS, and running the installer. Once you familiarize yourself with the interface, it's time to configure an SSD connection. To do this, click on the gear icon in the top-right corner and navigate to the Profiles & Connections tab. Select the New button and choose SSH connection. Give your connection a name, enter the server's IP address or hostname, Port, Username, and Password. Once done, click on Save to store the profile. Now, all you have to do is access the profile via the Windows icon or the profile menu in Tabby's top bar and press Enter to initiate the connection.

You can add multiple such profiles that you can connect to with the help of a single button every time you launch Tabby. If you have lots of saves sessions on PuTTY, Tabby even gives you an option to import them. Open PuTTY on your computer and navigate to the Sessions category. Select Default Settings and save the session to a .reg file by exporting the following file from regedit:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY\Sessions

Then, visit the Import option in Tabby via Settings > Profiles & Connections and select the exported file. Apart from this, Tabby's plug-in support gives it a further edge, since you can get several add-ons to further improve the functionality.

It's time to switch

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned professional, the intuitive interface and connection manager on Tabby make SSH accessible without going through the hassles and clunky setup of PuTTY. The tabbed interface is genuinely helpful when working with multiple sessions, and the cross-platform support doesn't limit you to Windows devices. There may be a small learning curve initially, but it's well worth it considering the advantages. Once you decide to make the switch, it's also rather straightforward to set up Tabby, and the import feature from PuTTY is just the icing on the cake for legacy users making the switch.