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How to Use SSH

How to Use SSH
Hostman Team
Technical writer
Linux
09.07.2024
Reading time: 7 min

Imagine you have rented a cloud server on Hostman to host your website. After purchase, you receive a clean system that you need to set up by installing a web server, uploading files, and so on. Instead of going to a data center with a flash drive, you use the SSH protocol.

In this article, we will discuss how to use SSH in Linux and Windows.

What is SSH?

SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol for remote access to any Linux operating system device, such as computers, servers, and phones. In other words, it allows you to connect to a device located anywhere in the world.

The word "secure" in the protocol's name means that data exchanged between devices is encrypted, allowing you to work with sensitive information like passwords and access codes securely. Data is transmitted in encrypted form, enhancing the security of the data you work with. Connection and authentication are done in one of two ways:

  1. Password login: A shared secret key is created between the client and server, encrypting the traffic.

  2. SSH Key pair login: Before the first connection, the user generates two keys: a public and a private one. These are stored on the remote and local devices, respectively.

This article will explore the protocol's capabilities, SSH command syntax, and SSH daemon settings.

Logging in with SSH Keys

Using a password to log into a server via SSH is unsafe and inconvenient:

  1. A password can be brute-forced.

  2. Passwords can leak accidentally, especially when dealing with multiple devices and different passwords.

  3. Entering a password every session is tiresome.

The most reliable way is to log in using an RSA key pair. Let’s look at how to use SSH keys to connect to remote servers.

First, create keys on your local computer:

ssh-keygen -t rsa

During creation, you will need to choose the location of the SSH key files and a passphrase. To connect without a password, leave the Passphrase field empty. A passphrase is an additional code that protects the key. If your private key is compromised, attackers won't be able to use it without the passphrase.

Next, send the public key to the server:

ssh-copy-id -p 222 -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub remote@example.com

This command will create an SSH session. After entering your password, the public key will be copied to the authorized keys file, and you won't need to enter a password again.

You can further enhance security by completely disabling password access. Edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file with the following directives:

  • PasswordAuthentication no — disable password login.

  • PubkeyAuthentication yes — enable SSH key authentication.

  • ChallengeResponseAuthentication no — disable PAM authentication.

After updating the file, reload the SSH daemon:

sudo systemctl reload ssh

Setting Up SSH

To connect, the SSH server (sshd) must be running on the remote device. In Ubuntu, start it using systemd:

sudo systemctl start ssh

On Hostman servers, sshd runs by default.

The sshd server configuration is in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file. Let's look at the main SSH settings you can use.

  • Port: By default, sshd monitors port 22. Change this to complicate unauthorized access attempts using the Port directive. However, port scanning scripts can still find it, so we recommend closing SSH access for the root user for better security.

  • Superuser Access: By default, remote root user access is allowed to administer Linux servers, which is unsafe. Use the PermitRootLogin no directive to disable this.

  • Protocol: SSH supports protocol versions 1 and 2. Version 2 supports more encryption methods and authentication techniques. Use the Protocol directive to specify a version: Protocol 2.

  • User Access: Enhance security by allowing remote access only for certain users and groups using the AllowUsers and AllowGroups directives. For example:
AllowUsers adm1, adm2

Or

AllowGroups admin, infrastructure

You can also deny access to specific users with DenyUsers and DenyGroups.

  • Logging: Set the logging level with the LogLevel directive. The default is INFO, but you can use VERBOSE or disable logging with QUIET for debugging.

  • Password Access: Control password access with the PasswordAuthentication directive, set to yes (default) or no.

After making changes, restart the sshd server to apply the new configuration. Ensure you have saved the key file on the server or retained password access to avoid losing access:

sudo systemctl reload ssh

Using SSH on Windows

That’s all good for Linux, but you may wonder how to use SSH in Windows.

Well, good news: the latest Windows versions (starting from Windows 10) have a build-in OpenSSH client, so you can simply run Windows PowerShell and connect as usual:

ssh user@server

On older Windows systems, you can use SSH via special applications, which can save connection data and customize color schemes for different sessions, which is useful for managing multiple servers. Popular SSH clients include:

  • PuTTY

  • WinSCP

  • Termius

  • FileZilla (for SFTP)

  • MobaXterm

Syntax

To connect remotely, use the SSH command with the server's IP address or domain name:

ssh example.com

If the local and remote system usernames differ, specify the remote username:

ssh remote@example.com
ssh remote@server-ip

End the session with the exit command.

If the remote server uses a non-default port, specify it with the -p flag:

ssh -p 222 remote@example.com

Usage Scenarios

Common and interesting SSH use cases include file and directory transfer, SSH tunnels, and SFTP.

File and Directory Transfer

First, let’s talk about how to transfer files using SSH.

With the sshd daemon running on your server, you can use utilities like scp to transfer files using the RCP protocol. To transfer filename.txt to the ~/trash/txt directory on example.com, use:

scp filename.txt remote@example.com:~/trash/txt

Reverse the local path and server to copy files from the remote server to your local device. To transfer a directory, add the -r flag and end the destination path with a slash. For example, to copy the images directory from the server to your local documents folder:

scp -r remote@example.com:~/images ~/documents/

You can also transfer files between two remote machines by specifying server paths instead of local files.

SSH Tunnels

SSH tunnels provide secure remote access and file transfer over a protected network. They are commonly used for accessing private networks or creating encrypted channels. To forward a port from a remote server, use the -L flag. For example, to access a remote database available only on the local machine's port 3306:

ssh -N 53306:127.0.0.1:3306 remote@example.com

In this command, -N means no command needs to be executed on the remote machine, 53306 is the local port, and 127.0.0.1:3306 is the address where MySQL runs on the remote server.

SFTP

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) operates over a secure channel and is part of OpenSSH. If your SSH daemon works correctly, you can use SFTP without additional setup. Unlike standard FTP, SFTP encrypts all data.

Start an SFTP session with the same credentials—login and password or key—as SSH. Specify a different port if you changed the default from 22:

sftp -oPort=222 remote@example.com

After successful authentication, you can work with files on the remote server.

Conclusion

In this article, we covered what SSH is and how it works. Knowing the basics of this protocol is essential for system administrators and programmers. SSH allows you to connect to devices anywhere in the world with the same rights and capabilities as if you were physically present.

If you host a website on a private server, an incorrect SSH configuration can lead to unauthorized access and severe consequences. 

Any server you rent on Hostman is accessible via SSH by default. If you need additional configuration, our support is always available to help.

Linux
09.07.2024
Reading time: 7 min

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This distribution also has several other advantages: System UpdatesArch Linux updates automatically when a new OS version is released. Software InstallationPackages can be downloaded both over the network and from a local disk. In addition, the installed software does not need to be specifically compatible with Arch Linux. Rich RepositoriesArch Linux offers a wide variety of packages. Today, there are over 12,000 packages in the official repositories alone. In the community repository, there are even more — over 83,000. Up-to-date DocumentationThe official Arch Linux documentation is actively updated to reflect the latest changes and innovations. This ensures accurate and relevant system information. Active CommunityThis distribution has an active user community ready to help and share their experience. There are many forums, wikis, and repositories where you can find detailed instructions and guides for installation, configuration, and troubleshooting. 1. Preparing for Installation To follow this guide and install Arch Linux, you will need: A cloud server with any operating system (in our case, Debian 11); A link to the Arch Linux image from an official source; An additional disk, which you can attach under the Plan tab in the control panel. Step 1. To install Arch Linux on the server, you must first upload its installation image from an official source in .iso format. For example: wget https://mirror.rackspace.com/archlinux/iso/2025.06.01/archlinux-2025.06.01-x86_64.iso Step 2. Next, add a new disk where the installation image will be stored. It will appear in the system as /dev/sdb. You can specify the minimum disk size. Step 3. Write the installation image to the new disk: dd if=archlinux-2025.06.01-x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdb The writing process will take some time. When finished, verify it with the following command: fdisk -l In the output, you will see that the installation image has been written to the new disk, creating two necessary partitions. Step 4. After writing the installation image, proceed to boot from it. To do this, go to the Access tab and boot the server from the recovery disk. Open the console in the control panel.  Step 5. In the console window, go to the Boot existing OS menu item and press Tab on your keyboard. This will allow you to edit the text at the bottom of the screen. Here, you need to manually replace hd0 with hd1, as shown in the figure below. After that, press Enter to launch the installation program. Step 6. In the system bootloader that appears, select the first option. 2. Partitioning the Disk Now we can partition the main disk (sda). In our case, there will be 3 partitions: a 300 MB UEFI partition (type EFI), a 700 MB swap partition (type Linux swap), and a main filesystem partition taking up all remaining space (type Linux). In your own installation, the number and size of partitions may differ depending on your requirements. Make sure there are no important files on the server’s disk, because it will be formatted later. You may also wish to back it up to preserve important data. Step 1. First, check whether there are any files on the disk you need to save: lsblk The screenshot below shows the list. For creating the described partitions, we will use a 25 GB disk — sda. It currently has Debian 11 installed, which does not contain important files. Step 2. To partition the disk, enter the following command: cfdisk /dev/sda Step 3. In the window that opens, you need to delete all existing partitions. To do this, select a partition and use the Delete button in the lower menu. Step 4. Next, select the New button in the lower menu to create a new partition. Step 5. Then specify the size of the partition to be created. In our case, this is 300 MB for UEFI. Step 6. In the next window, choose Primary. Step 7. The partition is now created, and you need to specify its type. Go to the Type menu and select EFI. Step 8. Now move to the Free space and create 2 more partitions, repeating steps 4 through 7. Partition details were listed at the beginning of this chapter. Step 9. Once all partitions have been created, go to the Write button and select it. To confirm, type yes in the field that appears. Step 10. Partitioning is now complete. To exit the tool, select the Quit button in the lower menu. Step 11. You can verify your work using the lsblk command again. Check in the output that all changes have been successfully applied. 3. Formatting and Mounting the Created Partitions At this stage, the created partitions will be formatted and mounted. Remember, all data will be erased in this process! Step 1. For the first partition, format it using the following command: mkfs.fat -F32 /dev/sda1 This command will create a FAT32 filesystem, which is the recommended format for the UEFI partition. Step 2. Next, assign it a mount point: mkdir /mnt/efi mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/efi Step 3. For the second partition, perform special formatting: mkswap /dev/sda2 Step 4. Then activate the swap partition: swapon /dev/sda2 Step 5. Finally, format the system’s root partition: mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda3 Step 6. After formatting, create its mount point: mount /dev/sda3 /mnt After completing the formatting and mounting, your partitions will be ready for installing and configuring Arch Linux and its main components. 4. Installing the Main Arch Linux Components Step 1. First, let’s install the OS and its core components: pacstrap /mnt base linux grub openssh nano dhcpcd Step 2. Once the installation finishes, you need to generate the fstab file: genfstab -U /mnt >> /mnt/etc/fstab Generating the fstab file makes partition mounting management easier and ensures automatic and consistent mounting at system startup. 5. System Configuration Step 1. To configure Arch Linux after installation, you need to chroot into the OS without rebooting: arch-chroot /mnt Step 2. First, install the nano text editor: pacman -S nano Step 3. Uncomment the encoding for English in the relevant file (you would edit locale.gen): nano /etc/locale.gen Uncomment the line for en_US.UTF-8. After this, save the changes and exit nano, then generate the locales: locale-gen To enable the English language, execute: echo "LANG=en_US.UTF-8" > /etc/locale.conf Step 4. At this step, set up the system clock. For example:  ln -sf /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Nicosia /etc/localtime The region is set. Now synchronize the hardware clock: hwclock --systohc Step 5. Next, set the hostname for your system: echo "hostname" > /etc/hostname Step 6. As the second-to-last step, set the root password. Run: passwd You will be prompted to enter and confirm the password. Step 7. Lastly, set up the previously installed GRUB bootloader to boot the server: grub-install --target=i386-pc /dev/sda Then create the GRUB configuration file: grub-mkconfig -o /boot/grub/grub.cfg This command will automatically configure GRUB. Step 8. Arch Linux is now successfully installed. Exit the chroot: exit Then go to the Access tab in your control panel and switch the server to standard boot mode. After that, click Save and Reboot. You can remove the additional disk after this step. Step 9. The system will boot, but it is not ready for use yet. First, connect to the server and enable the DHCP client daemon: systemctl enable dhcpcd Then start it: systemctl start dhcpcd Make sure the service shows the status active (running). Step 10. Next, configure the SSH connection. First, create a backup of the sshd configuration: cp /etc/ssh/sshd_config /etc/ssh/backup.sshdconf Then set PermitRootLogin to Yes in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file: nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config Finally, enable the SSH daemon: systemctl enable sshd And start it: systemctl start sshd When checking with systemctl status sshd, the service should show active (running) status. Don’t forget to add and configure SSH keys before connecting to the server. 6. Additional Configuration The installation is complete, but you can also perform additional system configuration by reviewing the official Arch Linux setup documentation. To install packages, use the command: pacman -S package_name To update the system, use: pacman -Suy Conclusion In this guide, we reviewed the process of installing Arch Linux on your cloud server and performed its basic configuration. We used a temporary Debian 11 OS and an additional disk for the installation image. By following these steps, you can create a powerful and flexible virtual environment for developing, testing, and running applications based on Arch Linux.
03 July 2025 · 8 min to read

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