Product tour

A closer look at BURSU Connection Manager

BURSU Connection Manager is a fast cross-platform connection manager for Windows, macOS and Linux, with Android, iPhone and iPad apps that open the same encrypted catalog — Macs over AppleRD, Windows servers over WinRM, jump hosts, port forwarding and a SOCKS5 proxy, tmux sessions, split-view terminals, broadcast input and command snippets built in. Take a guided tour of the main areas — the Home dashboard, your connection tree, live sessions, the encrypted vault, team access and the mobile apps — the way you'll actually use them every day. A full feature list follows at the end.

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00 · Home dashboard

Start from the work that matters

The Home tab gives you quick stats, recent and favorite connections, vault status, account access, and a last-session restore list so you can reopen yesterday's workspace in one click or connection by connection.

Restore last session on demand
Open recent and favorite connections quickly
Jump to Security, Users, Settings and Add Connection

01 · Connections

Your servers in a clean tree

Organize connections into nested folders like Network or Servers \ Production. Each row shows the protocol icon, name and host at a glance. Filter by All, Favorites or Recent, and use the search box or Quick Connect bar to jump straight in.

SSH, WinRM, RDP, VNC, AppleRD, Telnet, Serial, Web, FTP & SFTP connections
Nested folders with collapse / expand
Favorites, recents and instant search

Connection tree with folders, filters and favorites

02 · Connection details

Everything about a host, at a glance

Select any connection to open its dashboard: host, port, protocol and group on one side, the linked credential and username on the other, plus tags and notes. Connect, favorite, edit or delete right from the header.

General + Credentials overview cards
One-click Connect, Favorite, Edit, Delete
Tags & notes for context

Connection detail dashboard for a saved host

03 · Live terminal & files

A full terminal with your files beside it

Open an SSH session in a tab with a real, fully interactive terminal and an SFTP file panel docked right next to it. Browse, upload and download without leaving the window, or go full screen when you need the room.

Embedded terminal with full ANSI colours
Side-by-side SFTP file browser
Split view: two sessions in one tab
One-click command snippets with {placeholder} prompts
Full-screen mode with every session on its top panel, and one-click disconnect

SSH terminal session with an SFTP file panel

04 · Macs

A Mac's screen in a tab — with Apple's High Performance video and audio

An AppleRD connection opens a Mac over Apple Remote Desktop. On Apple silicon with macOS 14 or later it takes the High Performance path no other connection manager offers: H.264 or HEVC video decoded on your GPU, the Mac's system audio, and a sharp virtual display sized to your window — or a mirror of the Mac's own screen. Intel Macs and older macOS connect over the conventional route.

The Mac's host key is confirmed before your password is sent — first-use trust like SSH, a strict mode for known Macs only
Private session (the Mac's screen goes dark) or mirror mode; H.264 on the GPU or HEVC 4:4:4 for finer coloured text
Clipboard in both directions; the Mac's cursor shapes on your pointer; the window resizes the Mac's virtual display
Sign in with the macOS account's username and password — from a saved credential or asked at connect time

AppleRD tab: a MacBook Air's desktop streamed over Apple's High Performance screen sharing

05 · Windows servers

PowerShell on a Windows server, in a terminal tab

A WinRM connection opens PowerShell over PowerShell Remoting or cmd.exe over WinRS — no RDP session, no SSH server on the Windows side. Output streams while a command runs, Ctrl+C stops the pipeline, and prompts such as Read-Host or -Confirm wait for your answer, as in a local console.

HTTP or HTTPS — the server's certificate is trusted once and pinned like an SSH host key
Errors arrive as errors with the line they happened on; Write-Host keeps its colours
cmd.exe sessions can run in code page 866 for Cyrillic; a multi-line paste runs every line
Split pane, broadcast input and the AI assistant — the same as in an SSH tab

WinRM tab: PowerShell on a Windows server with streamed output

06 · AI assistant

Help beside the terminal — when you ask for it

An optional assistant that sees the same terminal you do: it can explain output, investigate a failure and run routine commands. It works only with an API key you add yourself — or a local model via Ollama, LM Studio or llama.cpp — and it does nothing until then. Anything that may change the system is explained first and waits for your approval.

Your own key — OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and more — or a local model
Read-only commands may run on their own; changes always wait for approval
Secret Shield redacts passwords, keys and tokens before text is sent
Works in SSH and WinRM sessions — and in RDP on Windows; the terminal stays yours while a command runs
Don't want AI? One checkbox in Settings removes the feature entirely

AI assistant panel beside an SSH terminal session

07 · Credentials

A dedicated, encrypted vault

Keep API keys, shared logins, admin passwords and SSH keys in their own grouped view, separate from connections. Secrets are encrypted at rest with a portable AES-256-GCM master password (or Windows DPAPI on Windows), and folders can inherit a default credential.

Passwords and SSH keys, grouped (API keys, Shared, …)
DPAPI or portable master-password vault
Folder-inherited credentials

08 · Users & access

Share access without sharing everything

Create desktop users and choose exactly what they can do per folder — read, edit or reveal passwords — or grant a user full administrator access. Program users sign in to the desktop app only, no portal account required.

Per-folder Read / Edit / Passwords grants
User groups: grant folder rights to a whole group at once
Administrator role for full access
Desktop-only program users

Add user dialog with per-folder access permissions

09 · Your own database

Your catalog, on your own PostgreSQL

Not every team wants the cloud. Point the app at a PostgreSQL server on your own network and the whole catalog — connections, credentials, users and groups — lives there, shared by everyone who signs in. The setup screen asks for host, port, database, username and password; the encryption picker verifies the server's certificate by default, and a self-signed certificate is one choice away. Test the connection before you continue, and change the storage later in Settings → Database.

Host, port, database, user and password — no connection string to hand-write
TLS on by default: certificate verified, self-signed allowed, or off on a trusted LAN
Windows, Linux and macOS clients share one server; local SQLite and BURSUcloud stay a click away

BURSUcm first-run setup: connecting to your own PostgreSQL server

10 · Mobile apps

The same catalog, in your pocket

The Android app and the universal iPhone and iPad app sign in to the same BURSUcloud account and open the same encrypted catalog. The master password stays on the phone, exactly as on the desktop.

SSH and Telnet with jump hosts, tunnels and tmux; RDP with RD Gateway, VNC and AppleRD
SFTP and FTP with multi-select, whole-folder download and delete, and text view and edit
Terminal colour schemes, find, session logs and snippets; TOTP codes, a password generator, Wake-on-LAN and offline mode
Biometric unlock on Android, Face ID or Touch ID on iPhone and iPad
Desktop only: WinRM, Serial, BURSUlink, split view, the browser tab, import and the AI assistant
Google Play, and one universal app on the App Store

Android tablet: the connection catalog beside the welcome pane

iPhone: SSH terminal running htop, with the extra key row on screen

Settings, your way

Storage, security, data and appearance — all in one place.

Database storage settings: Local, PostgreSQL or BURSUcloud — **Storage** — Local SQLite, PostgreSQL, or BURSUcloud with Google, Microsoft, Apple or GitHub sign-in.

Security settings with master password options — **Security** — master password, saved-password handling, password policy.

Data settings for import and export — **Data** — import from other connection and password managers, export, and back up the whole database.

Appearance settings with theme, language, Welcome tab, session restore and updates — **Appearance** — System / Light / Dark theme and 8 app interface languages.

AI settings with provider keys and the switch that disables the feature — AI — your keys, your models — and the one switch that turns the feature off.

Everything in BURSU Connection Manager

A complete look at what the app can do — from protocols and the terminal to security, cloud sync and team access.

Protocols

SSH with a full interactive terminal
WinRM: PowerShell over PowerShell Remoting or cmd.exe over WinRS, on HTTP or HTTPS
RDP in an embedded remote desktop tab
VNC with TLS/VeNCrypt encryption and one-click .vnc import
AppleRD: a Mac's screen over Apple Remote Desktop — High Performance GPU video and audio on Apple silicon, a plain screen on Intel Macs
Telnet and Serial (COM port) consoles
Web (HTTP/HTTPS) in a full browser tab — address bar, downloads, find, print and developer tools
FTP, FTPS and SFTP file transfer

Terminal & files

Embedded terminal with full ANSI colours and TUI support
Split view — two sessions side by side in one tab
Broadcast input: type once, send to every open session
Command snippets with {placeholder} prompts, synced and shared
Side-by-side SFTP file browser with upload and download
Terminal colour schemes, font family and size of your choice
Log a session to a file, with a configurable log folder
Two-pane file manager with a transfer queue, drag-and-drop and chmod
Multi-line paste confirmation with a preview
Full-screen mode with every session on its top panel, and one-click disconnect

Remote desktop options

Our own built-in RDP engine with H.264 graphics and remote audio
Multi-monitor RDP: each screen in its own movable window
VNC sessions with clipboard sharing, scaling and view-only mode
AppleRD: private virtual display or mirror mode, H.264 or HEVC 4:4:4, the Mac's audio, host key verified before the password
Per-connection colour depth and connection quality
Sharp RDP on Retina and HiDPI screens, with the server’s own cursor shapes
Redirect clipboard, local drives and printers
Choose where remote audio plays
RD Gateway in every app; the gateway's certificate is pinned separately
Or hand off to the native Remote Desktop client on Windows

Connections & organisation

Unlimited nested folders with collapse / expand
Favorites, recents and instant search
Filter by All, Favorites or Recent
Tags, notes and “Last used by” — who opened a connection last, and when
Wake-on-LAN: power on a sleeping machine from its own menu
BURSUlink: a connection goes through an agent on a computer behind NAT — no port forwarding, no VPN
Folder order and state synced across devices

Credentials & security

Dedicated, grouped credential vault
Authenticator (TOTP) codes for your own logins, stored with the credential they belong to
Built-in password generator where you save the password
Folder-inherited credentials
Portable AES-256-GCM master-password vault (Windows DPAPI on Windows)
Desktop and mobile apps send only ciphertext. Website vault actions process the master password temporarily on the server.
Encrypted app settings and a configurable password policy
Two-factor authentication for your bursucm.com account, with ten one-time recovery codes; the apps ask for the code in their own window

SSH power features

Jump host / bastion chains (ProxyJump) for terminal and SFTP
Local (-L), remote (-R) and dynamic (-D, SOCKS5 proxy) tunnels per connection
Keys from the OpenSSH agent — enter the passphrase once
SSH keys as credentials: the private key and passphrase sealed under the master password, shared and permissioned like a password
tmux: attach to a named session on the server and pick up exactly where a dropped connection left you
Host-key verification (Trust On First Use), like PuTTY
Per-connection key authentication, keep-alive and timeouts

AI assistant (optional)

Explains terminal output and can carry out admin tasks in SSH and WinRM sessions — and RDP on Windows
Bring your own key — OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek and more — or run local models via Ollama, LM Studio and llama.cpp
Read-only commands may run automatically; anything that changes the system waits for your approval
The terminal stays yours: keystrokes pass straight through, a password or yes/no prompt waits for you, and interactive programs such as htop are handed over to you
Secret Shield redacts passwords, keys and tokens before text leaves your machine
API keys and chat history are stored encrypted
One checkbox in Settings disables the whole feature; administrators can turn it off per user

BURSUcloud & sync

Desktop and mobile apps send only ciphertext. Website vault actions process the master password temporarily on the server.
An isolated PostgreSQL database per account
Sign in with email and password, or with Google, Microsoft, Apple or GitHub
Sync across desktop, the web portal, Android and iOS
Offline mode: keep working from an encrypted local copy when the network or database is down, then sync automatically

Team & access control

Desktop program users with no portal account required
Shared portal members managed right from the app
Per-folder Read, Edit and Reveal-password grants for everyone
User groups: grant folder rights to a whole group at once
Per-user permission to manage command snippets
The database owner always stays administrator

Help & support

Help → Report a problem: the full report is shown before Send, with passwords, keys, hosts and logins stripped on your computer
A crash is offered for reporting at the next start — nothing is ever sent without your click
User guide in eight languages at bursucm.com/docs

Productivity

Keyboard shortcuts for tabs, search and vault lock
Live status dot on every tab and automatic reconnect: up to three attempts, each after a 30-second countdown
Home dashboard with stats, recents and favorites
Restore your last session on demand or at startup
Automatic update notifications you can switch off

Storage, data & platforms

Local SQLite, PostgreSQL or BURSUcloud storage
Import from PuTTY, WinSCP, mRemoteNG, Royal TS, Remote Desktop Manager, OpenSSH config, .rdp and .vnc files — and from KeePass, 1Password and Bitwarden / Vaultwarden; export and protected database snapshots
System, Light and Dark themes
English, German, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian
Windows (x64/x86/ARM64), macOS (Intel & Apple Silicon), Linux (.deb/.rpm/.pkg.tar.xz), Android, iOS and iPadOS — desktop runtime bundled
On Windows, also from the command line: winget install bursucm
Signed releases: Authenticode on Windows, notarised by Apple on macOS, signed APT / DNF / Pacman repositories on Linux

Get BURSU Connection Manager

Install the desktop app and, when you're ready, sync everything through BURSUcloud.

Download BURSUcm Create free account