@rbrowser/cli

NPM CLI for RBrowser. Serve any folder (local or remote-over-SSH) and open it in RBrowser.

npm install -g @rbrowser/cli
rb open .
rb open user@server:/data/projects

What it does

rb open <path> starts a small HTTP file server bound to a random free port and prints a URL. Open the URL to browse, preview, and operate on the files with the full RBrowser UI. The frontend is bundled with the package, so no internet connection is required after install.

Usage

rb open <path> [options]

Arguments:
  path                       local directory or user@host:/remote/path

Options:
  -p, --port <port>          port to bind (default: random free port)
  --host <addr>              bind address for the file server (default: 0.0.0.0)
  --frontend <url>           RBrowser frontend URL, or "bundled". Default: bundled.
  --public                   force the printed URL to use this machine's LAN/public hostname
  --localhost                force the printed URL to use 'localhost' (for ssh -L tunneling)
  --token <token>            auth token (default: random). Use --no-token to disable auth.
  --no-token                 disable token authentication (NOT recommended on shared hosts)
  -h, --help                 show help
  -v, --version              show version

Examples

# Local
rb open .
rb open ~/projects

# Remote (uses your local ssh client + ~/.ssh/config)
rb open me@gpu-box:/data/exp42

# In a tmux/ssh session, force LAN URL so you can paste it in your laptop browser
rb open . --public

# Use a tunnel (ssh -L 9000:localhost:9000) and pin the printed URL to localhost
rb open . --localhost --port 9000

# Disable auth (only inside trusted networks!)
rb open . --no-token

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• For remote paths: ssh available on PATH and key-based auth set up to the target host. Remote shell must support standard POSIX cd, stat, dd, cat, mkdir, mv, rm, touch.

Security

By default a random per-session token is required for every /api/* and /files/* request. The token is embedded in the printed URL. Anyone with the URL has full read/write access inside the served directory — treat it like a password.

License

See LICENSE.