MobaXterm: The Ultimate Windows Terminal Tool and Essential Settings

MobaXterm is the ultimate toolbox for remote computing. Within a single Windows application, it provides a vast array of features tailored for programmers, webmasters, IT administrators, and virtually anyone who needs to handle remote tasks in a simpler way.

Long ago, a blog post introduced cmder, a Windows console enhancement tool. I have used cmder for over a year and found it very convenient. However, I recently discovered the beauty of MobaXterm and feel I missed out on it for too long. Viewing MobaXterm merely as a terminal tool might be an understatement; let's explore its capabilities.

Key Features

• Supports various connections: SSH, X11, RDP, VNC, FTP, MOSH
• Supports Unix commands (bash, ls, cat, sed, grep, awk, rsync, ...)
• Supports SFTP file transfer after connecting to an SSH terminal
• Rich plugin support (git, dig, aria2, ...)
• Can run Windows software
• Various other network tools

Installing Plugins

There are three ways to install plugins:

1. Using commands: Input apt-cyg install 'plugin name' or apt-get install 'plugin name'.
2. Manual download: Download the required plugins from the official plugin page and place them in the same directory as MobaXterm.

3. Via Menu: Click Packages in the menu bar and search for the plugins you need.

Common Settings

MobaXterm generates temporary files that may be deleted or lost at any time. It is recommended to specify a folder as the /home and / directory to prevent anomalies. Open Settings > Configuration > General to configure this, as shown below.

If you have installed environments like MySQL or Python on Windows but find the related commands unavailable in MobaXterm, enable Use Windows environment variables under Settings > Configuration > Terminal, as shown below.

If you need to quickly copy and paste using the right mouse button, check the Paste using right-click option. Note that any configuration changes require restarting MobaXterm to take effect.

Troubleshooting

When using the curl command to request HTTPS sites, you might encounter an error like: curl: (77) error setting certificate verify locations:. The solution is to install the certificates by running:

apt-get install ca-certificates

Due to permission issues, MobaXterm might be unable to read the C:\Windows\System32 environment variable. If you need to run Windows software, create a separate folder and set the environment variable manually.

Conclusion

MobaXterm includes many built-in network tools (such as port scanning and FTP server), making its functionality incredibly rich. MobaXterm comes in Home Edition and Professional Edition. The Home Edition is completely free. If you are a network administrator or programmer, MobaXterm is an indispensable tool.

Official Download Link: MobaXterm_Portable_v10.4.zip