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Web Terminal ​

Web Terminal gives you a browser-based SSH shell for your site. Run WP-CLI commands, inspect files, and fix things directly from the InstaWP dashboard — no terminal app, SSH key, or local setup required.

In this documentation, we will explore:

Let's get started 🚀

The Web Terminal is available on Sandbox plans and above and requires SSH to be enabled for the site. View Pricing here.

What is the Web Terminal? ​

The Web Terminal is a full shell session for your site, rendered right inside the dashboard. It runs every command as your site's SSH user, in your site's web root — the same environment you'd get by connecting over SSH from your own machine.

Why use it? ​

  • No local setup: No SSH client, key pair, or connection details to configure
  • WP-CLI on tap: Run wp commands to manage plugins, themes, users, options, and the database
  • Fast troubleshooting: Check files, permissions, and logs without opening an SFTP client
  • Works anywhere: Any browser, including machines where outbound SSH (port 22) is blocked
  • Built-in file editor: nano/vim open a simple editor overlay — edit and save without leaving the page

Who should use this feature? ​

  • Developers running WP-CLI, checking files, or debugging a site
  • Agencies doing quick maintenance on a client site without setting up SSH access
  • Support and QA reproducing an issue or verifying a fix on a live sandbox

How to Open the Web Terminal ​

Step 1: Go to your Sites page and click the site you want to work on.

Step 2: In the site menu, expand Connectivity and click Web Terminal.

Expanding Connectivity in the site menu and selecting Web Terminal

Step 3: If SSH isn't enabled yet for this site, you'll see Enable SSH to use the Web Terminal. Click Enable SSH and wait a few seconds while it's provisioned.

The Enable SSH prompt on the Web Terminal page

Step 4: The terminal opens with a prompt in your site's web root, ready for commands.

Note: Enabling SSH here is the same as enabling it on the SFTP/SSH page — you only need to do it once per site.

Running Commands ​

Type a command and press Enter. Output is printed below the prompt, exactly as it would be over SSH.

Running WP-CLI and shell commands in the InstaWP Web Terminal

Handy commands to start with:

CommandWhat it does
wp core versionShow the WordPress version
wp plugin listList plugins and their status
wp plugin deactivate <slug>Deactivate a misbehaving plugin
wp theme listList installed themes
wp user listList site users
wp db optimizeOptimize the database
wp cache flushFlush the object cache
ls -la · cd wp-content · tail -n 50 debug.logExplore files and read logs

Shortcuts the terminal supports:

  • ↑ / ↓ — cycle through your command history
  • Tab — autocomplete file and directory names
  • Ctrl+C — cancel a command that's still running
  • clear (or the Clear button, top right) — clear the screen
  • cd — your working directory persists between commands

Tip: Commands run in your site's public_html folder by default, so wp commands work straight away with no --path flag.

Editing Files in the Terminal ​

Full-screen editors like nano and vim can't run inside a web terminal, so InstaWP intercepts them and opens a built-in editor overlay instead.

Run nano <file> (or vim/vi) and the file opens in an editable panel:

The built-in file editor overlay opened from the Web Terminal

  • Ctrl+S — save your changes (a Saved ✓ confirmation appears in the header)
  • Esc or ✕ — close the editor and return to the prompt

Tip: Always take a backup before editing a live file such as .htaccess, functions.php, or wp-config.php.

What You Can and Can't Do ​

You can:

  • Run any command your site's SSH user can run — WP-CLI, git, composer, curl, file and archive tools
  • Read and write anything inside your site user's home directory
  • Chain commands with &&, pipes, and redirects

You can't:

  • Run commands as root — there's no sudo; the session runs as the unprivileged site user
  • Read other customers' files — standard Linux permissions apply, so anything outside your own user's files returns Permission denied
  • Stay outside your home directory — you can cd anywhere you have read access, but the prompt returns to your site's folder on the next command; only paths inside your home are kept as the working directory
  • Run interactive/long-lived programs — each command runs to completion with a timeout (60 seconds by default), so avoid things like top, watch, sudo, or an unbounded tail -f

Security note: Web Terminal activity is recorded in your site's Activity Log (Advanced → Activity Log), so you can see when commands were run and by whom.

Troubleshooting ​

"Please enable SSH to use the terminal" ​

Problem: Commands stop working and every command returns this message.

Solutions:

  • SSH has been turned off for the site. Reload the Web Terminal page and click Enable SSH again
  • Check the SFTP/SSH page — the Enable SSH toggle should be ON
  • If SSH keeps switching off, your account may be over its plan usage limits — contact support
A command hangs or times out ​

Problem: A command produces no output and eventually errors out.

Solutions:

  • Each command has a time limit (60 seconds by default). Long jobs — large imports, full-site searches — should be split into smaller commands
  • Press Ctrl+C to cancel and get your prompt back
  • Interactive programs (top, htop, watch, tail -f) never return, so they'll always time out — use a bounded form like tail -n 100 debug.log
"Permission denied" when writing a file ​

Problem: A command or a save from the file editor fails with a permissions error.

Solutions:

  • Run Fix File/Folder Permissions from Site Tools and try again
  • Confirm the path is inside your site's home directory — anything outside it is blocked
  • The terminal has no sudo, so files owned by root can't be modified
The terminal is greyed out with an upgrade prompt ​

Problem: You see "You need the Sandbox plan or higher to use the Web Terminal."

Solution: The Web Terminal isn't available on free sites. Upgrade the site to Sandbox or higher to unlock it.

FAQs ​

Is the Web Terminal the same as SSH? ​

Yes — it's the same SSH access, just driven from your browser instead of a local SSH client. It uses the same credentials and the same environment. If you prefer your own terminal, the connection details are on the SFTP/SSH page.

Do I need to add an SSH key? ​

No. The Web Terminal authenticates through your InstaWP dashboard session, so there are no keys to generate or upload. SSH keys are only needed if you connect from your own machine.

Can I run WP-CLI commands? ​

Yes — WP-CLI is pre-installed and the terminal starts in your site's web root, so wp commands run without extra flags.

Is it safe to use on a production site? ​

The terminal is as safe as any SSH session — which means commands take effect immediately and some are irreversible. Take a backup before running anything destructive, and never run a command you don't understand.

Why won't nano or vim open normally? ​

Full-screen text editors need an interactive terminal, which a web-based shell can't provide. InstaWP detects these commands and opens its own file editor instead, so you still get to edit and save the file.

Can other people on my team use it? ​

Anyone with dashboard access to the site can open the Web Terminal. Commands are attributed to the user who ran them in the site's Activity Log.

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