# cockpit-desktop(1)

## Name

cockpit-desktop - Cockpit Desktop integration

## Synopsis

cockpit-desktop URLPATH [SSH_HOST]

## Description

The cockpit-desktop program provides secure access to Cockpit pages in an already running desktop session. It starts a web server (cockpit-ws) and a web browser in an isolated network namespace, and a cockpit-bridge(8) in the running user session.

This avoids having to log into Cockpit, and having to enable cockpit.socket system-wide. The network isolation ensures that no other user, and not even other processes in the user’s session, can access this local web server.

URLPATH is the Cockpit page to open, i. e. the path component of Cockpit URLs. It is highly recommended to only open a particular page frame, not the entire Cockpit navigation and menu. For example, the path `/cockpit/@localhost/storage/index.html` will open the Storage page. It is also possible to give abbreviated forms of urls, such as “/storage” or “/network/firewall”.

SSH_HOST is an optional SSH remote host specification (hostname or username@hostname). If given, cockpit-bridge will be started on the remote host through ssh(1) instead, i. e. the Cockpit web browser will show that remote host. Note that this is more of an experimental/demo feature.

## Environment

The BROWSER environment variable specifies the browser command (and possibly options) that will be used to open the requested Cockpit page. If not set, cockpit-desktop attempts to use an internal minimalistic WebKit browser, and failing that, will attempt to detect some reasonable alternatives.

## Bugs

Please send bug reports to either the distribution bug tracker or the upstream bug tracker.

## Author

Cockpit has been written by many contributors.

## See also

cockpit-ws(8), cockpit-bridge(1)