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Endlessh

Free#21 of 21 in Honeypot Software

Endlessh: A focused, self-hosted SSH diversion tool for slowing automated scanners. Ranked #21 of 21 in Honeypot Software by our editors (6.6/10); pricing: Open source; best for simple SSH scanner diversion.

6.6/10★★★☆☆Editor score

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At a glance

• Editor score
  6.6 / 10
• Pricing
  Open source
• Best for
  Simple SSH scanner diversion
• Paid from
  Free
• Deployment model
  Self-hosted
• Facts checked
  22 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Randomized endless banners keep automated SSH clients occupied
  • Supports concurrent clients with IPv4 and IPv6 binding
  • Configurable delays, ports, client limits, and diagnostics

• Where it doesn't

  • Does not provide credential lures
  • Offers no documented integrations
  • Focuses on SSH rather than broader service emulation

Our verdict on Endlessh

Endlessh is an open-source SSH tarpit for Linux and self-hosted deployments. It sends randomized, endless SSH banners at a deliberately slow pace, keeping automated scanning and brute-force clients connected for extended periods. The intended placement is in front of a real SSH server, where it can divert unwanted connection activity away from the production service. It suits administrators who want a narrow network-level decoy without a broader honeypot platform.

Pricing is straightforward: Endlessh uses an open-source model rather than tiered commercial plans. The published project details describe a standalone C program and license, with no paid plan structure to compare. Configuration covers the listening port, banner delay, maximum banner length, maximum client count, and IPv4 or IPv6 binding. Diagnostics can go to standard output or syslog, giving operators a choice of simple process output or system logging.

Its strength is focus. Endlessh uses a single-threaded design with poll() to handle multiple connections, and its concurrent-client support makes the SSH tarpit practical for diverting scanner traffic without adding credential-capture behavior. The trade-off is equally clear: it does not provide credential lures, documented integrations, or broader service emulation. Choose Endlessh when the goal is a lightweight SSH diversion layer; choose a broader honeypot when you need richer decoys, integrations, or multi-service interaction.

Your product? Our editors can test Endlessh in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

Endlessh pricing

Endlessh fact sheet

Alternatives to Endlessh

• BeelzebubA flexible self-hosted honeypot runtime with adaptive interactions and deep security integrations.9.4
• CowrieA mature, deep SSH and Telnet honeypot for self-hosted threat monitoring.9.2
• TPT-PotA broad self-hosted honeypot platform for teams that want many decoys and built-in analysis.9.0

See all Endlessh alternatives →

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Featured on iTechGuides

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update