Telnet Client for macOS, Windows & Linux

Use Tempest as a Telnet client on macOS, Windows, and Linux — connect to routers, switches, network devices, and legacy systems with one tabbed UI.

Tempest works as a Telnet client for routers, switches, embedded devices, and legacy systems — same tabbed UI, same color schemes, same SSH-style connection list. As of Tempest 3.6+, the Telnet protocol is fully native (Rust implementation, no external telnet binary required) on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

If you're managing Cisco gear, MikroTik routers, factory PLCs, or anything else that still speaks Telnet, Tempest gives you a modern terminal experience without losing the ability to talk plain Telnet.

Add a Telnet connection

1. Click + to add a new connection.

2. Choose Telnet as the protocol.

3. Set host and port (default: 23).

4. Optional: configure proxy (HTTP CONNECT, SOCKS5, or ProxyCommand) for Telnet over a tunnel.

5. Click Connect.

The session opens in a tab. Encoding, color, and copy/paste behave identically to SSH tabs.

Why native Telnet?

Older versions of Tempest shelled out to the system's telnet binary, which is no longer installed by default on macOS Sonoma+ or modern Windows. The native Rust implementation works out of the box on every platform — no brew install telnet, no Windows feature toggle.

Security note

Telnet sends passwords and session data in cleartext. Use SSH whenever possible. Telnet is appropriate for:

• Legacy device management on isolated networks

• Initial bootstrap of devices that only support Telnet

• Reaching equipment behind a tunnel that you trust

For production access, combine with a proxy or jump host so the cleartext segment stays inside a trusted boundary.

See also

• SSH Port Forwarding — wrap Telnet inside an encrypted SSH tunnel

• Connect to Game Servers via RCON — the same Rust implementation also powers Tempest's RCON support