Overview
exe.dev has solved a fundamental networking challenge by creating a clever workaround for SSH’s lack of Host header functionality. The service uses multiple IP addresses per user account to enable simple VM access via SSH without requiring unique IPs for each VM.
Key Facts
- SSH protocol has no Host header equivalent - makes VM routing complex without unique IPs
- exe.dev assigns multiple IPs per user account - enables simple ‘ssh vm-name.exe.dev’ access
- Uses SSH public key authentication for user identification - eliminates need for complex routing configuration
- VMs share IP addresses across users but remain unique within accounts - scales efficiently while maintaining simplicity
Why It Matters
This demonstrates how creative infrastructure design can overcome protocol limitations, potentially influencing how other cloud services handle SSH-based VM management and multi-tenant networking challenges.