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+---
+layout: post
+title: Tailing files on remote hosts
+excerpt: Native support for tailing logs on machines accessible via SSH
+---
+
+*(This change is in [**v0.10.0+**](https://github.com/tstack/lnav/releases/tag/v0.10.0))*
+
+One of the new features in the upcoming v0.10.0 release of lnav is support
+for tailing log files on remote hosts via SSH. This feature allows you to
+view local files and files from multiple remote hosts alongside each other
+in the log view. The only setup required is to ensure the machines can be
+accessed via SSH without any interaction, meaning the host key must have
+been previously accepted and public key authentication configured. Opening
+a remote file is then simply a matter of specifying the location using the
+common scp syntax (i.e. `user@host:/path/to/file`).
+
+When lnav accesses a remote host, it transfers an agent (called the
+"tailer") to the host to handle file system requests from lnav. The agent
+is an [αcτµαlly pδrταblε εxεcµταblε](https://justine.lol/ape.html) that
+should run on most X86 Operating Systems. The agent will monitor the
+files of interest and synchronize their contents back to the host machine.
+In addition, the agent can be used to satisfy interactive requests for
+TAB-completion of remote file paths and previewing directory and file
+contents.
+
+The following asciicast shows lnav opening log files on MacOS and FreeBSD:
+
+<script id="asciicast-fblzf1Ir5Rr0b5wMGEJBb95ye"
+ src="https://asciinema.org/a/fblzf1Ir5Rr0b5wMGEJBb95ye.js"
+ async>
+</script>