Conan

Cross-Platform Connection Manager

Conan is a fast, minimal, and extensible cross-platform connection manager built with Go and Qt 5, designed for system administrators, network engineers, and developers who manage large numbers of remote systems and require instant, keyboard-driven access with minimal UI overhead.

Conan runs natively on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and is available both as a GUI application and a curses-based Terminal UI (TUI).

conan-gui

conan-cli

Key Capabilities

  • Native system tray integration

    • Runs quietly in the background
    • Fully controlled from the tray icon
    • One-click access to saved connections

  • Spotlight-style launcher

    • Global hotkey to open instantly
    • Fuzzy search by hostname, description, or tags
    • Launch connections immediately with Enter

  • Protocol-aware connection handling

    • Native support for ssh, rdp, and winbox
    • Extensible protocol system via YAML configuration
    • Automatically selects the correct external tool per protocol

  • Powerful configuration system

    • YAML-based server definitions
    • Tags, metadata, and custom launch commands
    • Designed to scale to hundreds of hosts

  • Dual interface: GUI + CLI

    • Full-featured graphical server manager
    • Curses-based Terminal UI (TUI) for headless or SSH-only workflows
    • Suitable for remote servers and minimal environments

Notes & Knowledge Management

  • Sticky notes system

    • Notes written in Markdown
    • YAML front-matter for metadata
    • Notes can be associated with servers, topics, or projects

  • GitHub Gist synchronization (optional)

    • Sync server lists and notes across machines
    • Supports encrypted or plaintext storage
    • Preserves version history

Security by Design

Conan is built with a strong focus on security and privacy:

  • Encrypted configuration files

    • Full AES-256-GCM encryption for server lists
    • Protects hosts, usernames, protocols, tags, and metadata

  • Secure credential handling

    • Credentials encrypted at rest
    • Decrypted only in memory at runtime
    • No plaintext secrets written to disk

  • Encrypted notes

    • Individual Markdown notes can be encrypted
    • Decrypted on demand, never stored unencrypted unless exported

  • Master password support

    • Optional prompt at startup
    • Required to unlock encrypted data and private notes

  • Zero telemetry

    • No background network traffic
    • Fully offline by default
    • Cloud sync only when explicitly enabled

Designed for Speed and Focus

Conan prioritizes:

  • Keyboard-first workflows
  • Minimal UI friction
  • Instant access to remote systems
  • Predictable, scriptable behavior

It is intended for professional and technical users, not as a consumer-grade remote desktop launcher.

Current Status

Conan is currently available as a public beta, stable release.
Core functionality is fully implemented and actively used in production environments, with ongoing development focused on refinement, performance, and new features.

Conan: The Barbarian — Built-in Terminal Edition

conan-the-barbarian-connection-manager

Conan: The Barbarian is a fork of Conan ported to Qt 6 that extends the original concept by adding a fully integrated, built-in terminal emulator, removing the dependency on external terminal applications for SSH workflows.

This edition is aimed at users who want a self-contained connection manager and terminal environment within a single application window.

Additional Capabilities

  • Embedded terminal emulator

    • Native SSH sessions inside the application
    • Tabbed terminal interface with detachable windows
    • Session tracking via server ID + session ID

  • Integrated SSH manager

    • Centralized management of active SSH sessions
    • Attach / detach terminals dynamically
    • Reattach all sessions after restart

  • Native vs external client control

    • User-selectable mode:
    • Native SSH (built-in terminal)
    • External SSH (legacy behavior)
    • Non-SSH protocols continue to use external tools

  • Improved workflow for power users

    • Reduced context switching
    • Faster session navigation
    • Better state tracking for large infrastructures

Target Audience

Conan: The Barbarian is designed for:

  • Heavy SSH users
  • NOC operators
  • Infrastructure engineers
  • Power users who want a terminal-first experience without sacrificing the convenience of a GUI connection manager

Current Status

Conan: The Barbarian is under active development.
There are no public releases yet; the application is currently used internally in an advanced alpha state.

Both Conan and Conan: The Barbarian share the same core philosophy:
fast access, minimal abstraction, strong security, and tools that stay out of your way.

Created on: January 10, 2026

Last modified: January 10, 2026, 2:06 am