> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symplax.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Server console
> Open a terminal on your server from the dashboard, without setting up SSH on your own machine.
The console gives you a shell on your server inside the browser. Symplax opens the SSH connection for you with the credentials it already holds, so you don't need a key on the computer you're using.
## Who can use it
The console is a full shell on the server, usually as `root`, so only the workspace **Owner** and **Admins** can open it. Developers and Viewers don't see the **Console** tab at all. See [team roles](https://docs.symplax.com/teams/roles.md).
Access is checked when a session opens and again about every 30 seconds while you type. If someone's role is lowered, their open sessions close within that window.
## Open a terminal
**1. Open the server**
Go to **Servers** and click **Manage** on the server.
**2. Go to the Console tab**
The server must be online. If it's offline, the tab says so and you can't open a terminal.
**3. Start a shell**
Press **+** (**New terminal**). The shell opens as the SSH user the server was connected with, which is `root` for most servers.
You can open up to 4 terminals on the same server at once, each in its own tab.
## Toolbar
| Tool | What it does |
| - | - |
| Find | Search the output. Shortcut: Cmd/Ctrl + F |
| Copy | Copies your selection, or all output if nothing is selected |
| Download | Saves this shell's output to a file |
| Clear | Clears the screen |
| Text size | Makes the text smaller or larger |
| Fullscreen | Fills the window. Esc exits |
## Session rules
> **Idle timeout**
>
> A shell with no keystrokes for 30 minutes is closed.
> **Dropped connections**
>
> If your browser loses its connection briefly, the shell keeps running on Symplax's side for 60 seconds so you can pick it back up. A long command such as `apt upgrade` isn't killed by a short network blip.
> **Very large output**
>
> If a command prints a huge burst of output at once, the excess is cut off with an `[output truncated]` notice so your browser tab doesn't freeze. Redirect big output to a file and read it with `less` instead.
## Recording
Every session is recorded, both what you type and what the server prints. Recordings are kept for 90 days and then deleted. A recording stops after 2 MB of data in one session.
> [!WARNING]
>
> Anything you type or print in the console ends up in the recording, including passwords and secrets. Avoid printing secrets to the screen. Use [environment variables](https://docs.symplax.com/apps/environment-variables.md) for app secrets.
## Troubleshooting
> **I don't see a Console tab**
>
> You're not an Owner or Admin in this workspace. Ask an owner to change your role, or to run the command for you.
> **This server is not online**
>
> The agent isn't reporting. See [monitoring](https://docs.symplax.com/servers/monitoring.md) for what offline means.
> **You already have 4 console sessions open on this server**
>
> Close a terminal tab you no longer need, then open a new one.
> **Could not start a shell**
>
> Symplax reached the server but couldn't log in or start a shell. Check that the SSH key or password Symplax uses still works, for example that nobody removed its key from `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`. See [SSH keys](https://docs.symplax.com/security/ssh-keys.md).
This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.