🐾 Idefix Terminal — an ultimate terminal in your ASUS-Merlin GUI

[MegaMango]

Hello SNB Community,

After extensive testing and refinement, I am pleased to introduce Idefix Terminal—a browser-based console now available under Administration ▸ Idefix Terminal in your router’s web interface.

This project is hosted on the GitHub

Releases: https://github.com/DanielLavrushin/asuswrt-merlin-idefix/releases

What do i get?​

A real BusyBox/ash shell with colour, UTF-8 and scroll-back – no more juggling PuTTY. Works from any device: phone, tablet, even your TV’s browser.

Prerequisites​

* ASUS-WRT Merlin firmware (386 or 388)
* Entware (quickest route: run `amtm`, option `e`)

How to install​

Simply run this command:

wget -O /tmp/idefix-install.sh \
  https://raw.githubusercontent.com/DanielLavrushin/asuswrt-merlin-idefix/refs/heads/main/install.sh \
  && chmod 0755 /tmp/idefix-install.sh \
  && /tmp/idefix-install.sh \
  && rm /tmp/idefix-install.sh

to uninstall:

idefix uninstall

How to update/contriubute​

This is the first public release. It should run on most Broadcom & HND models but I only have an RT-BE88U to test on. If something breaks please open a GitHub issue or drop a note in this thread – log snippets, screenshots, anything helps.

As soon as I deploy a new release version you will get a modal window to porpose to update.
You always can check the latest changes in the bottom right corner of the screen clicking the version:

Any CLI?​

Oh yes, you can use the following CLI:
- idefix update - ubdate to latest version (it is possible to specify exact version, e.g. idefix update 1.1.4, usefull in a rollback cases)
- idefix start - start the idefix-server in a background
- idefix stop - stop all instances of the idefix server
- idefix uninstall - a complete uninsall process
- idefix remount_ui - helps to remount the gui menu

Issues​

- not able to connect under https (investigating)

 

[Ripshod]

What gives?

NVM, doesn't work over https.

 

[MegaMango]

What gives?
View attachment 65569
is all I get. Have you used default IPs rather than localhost - my main LAN is 10.0.0.0/27?

nice! First issue

Are you behind https?
what if you try to run the idefix-server manually?

first try to stop any instances:

idefix stop

then

/opt/share/idefix/idefix-server

then try to connect - it should catch to the console the response...

 

[Ripshod]

nice! First issue

Are you behind https?
what if you try to run the idefix-server manually?

first try to stop any instances:

idefix stop

then

/opt/share/idefix/idefix-server

then try to connect - it should catch to the console the response...

WebSocket PTY listening on :8787/ws

Then no further messages when trying to access in the GUI over https. Over http it's fine.

 

[MegaMango]

WebSocket PTY listening on :8787/ws

Then no further messages when trying to access in the GUI over Https. HTTP it's fine.

okay, that might be an issue with https, I will investigate this!

 

[Swistheater]

okay, that might be an issue with https, I will investigate this!

My intuition would tell me that this should be the opposite. you should require this to only be done over https, and inaccessible on http if port 80, or 8080 are either open, but I am not a genius here. Great work, I hope you continue with success.

 

[maghuro]

Excellent work! Btw, I love the paw

Some questions/suggestions:
- Change default path to be in line with the "regular" terminal (/tmp/home/root)
- Is it possible to increase the terminal vertical size? We have a big webpage with a small vertical terminal - 99% of the userscripts use more than that screen size, making them a PITA to use.
- version number - possibility to run a manual update check (by pressing the actual version number?). If possible, it should also check for MD5 changes. Right now I don't know when it checks for an update (when opening the webpage?)
- When using command "exit". Is it possible, somehow, to show a message saying "exited" or something like that? Right now it simply hangs and, after a moments, looses connection. (Am I being too picky? )
- @thelonelycoder I think it's ready (IKWIM)

My greatest congratulations