Fabric

Python library and CLI for executing shell commands remotely over SSH. Delivers a high-level, Pythonic API to run commands on remote hosts and receive structured results as Python objects, streamlining deployment workflows and systems administration without raw SSH scripting.

Fabric builds on Invoke for subprocess and command-line task execution and Paramiko for SSH. It supports both programmatic use via the Connection and Group APIs and a fab CLI for defining and running tasks. The project offers optional companion libraries: Invocations for local-focused Invoke tasks and Patchwork for remote shell utilities.

Key capabilities:

• Connection and SerialGroup APIs for single-host and multi-host execution
• fab CLI with parameterized tasks, pre-post hooks, and GNU-style arguments
• File transfer via SFTP with put and get operations
• SSH authentication via keys, passwords, SSH agents, and GSSAPI
• Gateway connections for jumping through bastion hosts

Engineers use Fabric to automate deployments, run commands across server fleets, perform ad-hoc systems administration, and coordinate multi-step tasks. The same Python functions work for single connections or groups of hosts, and the fab tool integrates with CI/CD pipelines and local development workflows.