boundary/website/content/docs/operations/session-recordings/index.mdx

---
layout: docs
page_title: Recorded sessions operations
description: |-
  How to work with Boundary's recorded sessions
---

# Recorded sessions operations

Boundary provides [auditing](/boundary/docs/concepts/auditing) capabilities via [session recording](/boundary/docs/configuration/session-recording).
In Boundary, a session represents a set of connections between a user and a host from a target.
The session begins when an authorized user requests access to a target, and it ends when that access is terminated.
When you enable session recording on a target, any user session that connects to the target is automatically recorded.
An administrator can later view the recordings to investigate security issues, review system activity, or perform regular assessments of security policies and procedures.

Recorded sessions are stored in an external storage bucket that you create.
Storing session recordings in a system external to Boundary means those recordings can be accessed, modified, deleted, and even restored independently of Boundary.
You can view any sessions that Boundary recorded in your storage provider or via the CLI.

When you view recorded sessions using the CLI or Admin UI, Boundary can convert the recording into other formats for playback.
Currently Boundary supports converting the recording of an individual SSH channel into an [asciicast](https://github.com/asciinema/asciinema/blob/develop/doc/asciicast-v2.md) format to play back an interactive SSH session.

The asciicast format is well suited for the playback of interactive shell activity.
However, some aspects of the recording cannot be translated into asciicast.
For example, if an SSH session uses the `RemoteCommand` option, or is used to `exec` a command, the command is not displayed in the asciicast.
The output of the command may be displayed, though.
If you use SSH for something other than an interactive shell, such as for file transfer, X11 forwarding, or port forwarding, Boundary does not attempt to create an asciicast.
In all cases, the SSH session is still recorded in the [BSR file](/boundary/docs/concepts/auditing/#bsr-directory-structure) and you can view the BSR file in the external storage bucket.

For more information about working with recorded sessions, refer to the following topics:

- [Find and view recorded sessions](/boundary/docs/operations/session-recordings/manage-recorded-sessions)
- [Validate the integrity of session recordings](/boundary/docs/operations/session-recordings/validate-session-recordings)
- [How Boundary validates data integrity in the external data store](/boundary/docs/operations/session-recordings/validate-data-store)