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ssh.place turns an SSH session into a shared pixel canvas

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A Hacker News user going by jeninh posted a Show HN for ssh.place, a single shared drawing canvas that people edit entirely by connecting to it over SSH rather than through a web app. The canvas is 200 by 60 cells, and anyone who runs "ssh ssh.place" from a terminal joins the same grid everyone else is drawing on. There is no signup step: any existing SSH key works as the login, and no software has to be installed beyond an SSH client most people already have.

Inside the session, movement is handled with wasd or hjkl, colors are picked with the number keys 0 to 9, and the tab key cycles through all 16 available colors. Placing a cell is rate-limited to once every 15 seconds, and that cooldown is tied to the connecting SSH key rather than the session, so disconnecting and reconnecting does not reset the timer. The canvas only accepts color placements: the server rejects any input that contains a character, so it is not possible to write text on it, only to draw. A companion web page at the same address shows the canvas but is read-only; the only way to change it is over SSH.

The post does not say who built ssh.place, what it runs on, or when it launched, and it gives no account of moderation or of how long the canvas persists. On Hacker News the submission had drawn 71 points and 36 comments within about five hours of posting, indicating people were actively trying it and discussing it.

Key facts

  • The shared canvas measures 200×60 cells and is edited only by connecting over SSH, with a companion web page that is read only.
  • Any existing SSH key logs a user in; there is no account to create and nothing to install beyond an SSH client.
  • Inside the session, wasd or hjkl move the cursor, 0 to 9 pick a color, and tab cycles through all 16 available colors.
  • Placing a cell is limited to once every 15 seconds, and the cooldown is tied to the SSH key, so reconnecting does not reset it.
  • The server rejects any placement containing a character, so the canvas can only be drawn on, never written to.

Why it matters

ssh.place belongs to the same lineage as shared pixel canvases like Reddit's r/place, but the twist is the interface: every edit happens inside a raw SSH terminal session rather than a browser. It is a small demonstration of how much interactivity a bare SSH connection can carry without a dedicated client, and it drew real engagement on Hacker News within hours of being posted.

Who it affects

Anyone with an SSH client, which is most developers, can take part without registering. It is aimed at people curious about unusual uses of SSH and at Hacker News readers who enjoy small collaborative web toys.

How to use it

Run "ssh ssh.place" from a terminal using any existing SSH key; nothing needs to be signed up for first. Move around the 200×60 grid with wasd or hjkl, choose a color with 0 to 9, and press tab to cycle through all 16 available colors. Each SSH key can place one cell every 15 seconds, and that cooldown carries over even if the connection is dropped and reopened. The canvas takes color only: any input containing a character is turned down by the server, so text cannot be placed. The web page at the same address only displays the canvas; it cannot be used to edit it.

How solid is it

The description comes directly from the project's own Show HN post and site copy, submitted by user jeninh. Within about five hours it had reached 71 points and 36 comments on Hacker News, which suggests the demo works as described and that people were actively connecting and drawing. The post itself gives no information about who built it, what infrastructure runs it, or when it went live.

Risks and caveats

The source says nothing about how long the canvas persists, whether it is ever reset or wiped, or what moderation exists against griefing beyond the character block that stops text. There is no stated history of prior abuse or any account of the project's origin, so those questions remain open.

“This page only reads the canvas. It changes over SSH and nowhere else.”

— ssh.place site description