Introduction
SSH (Secure Shell) is a network protocol that enables secure remote connections between two systems. System admins use SSH utilities to manage machines, copy, or move files between systems. Because SSH transmits data over encrypted channels, security is at a high level.
This article will guide you through the most popular SSH commands. The list can also serve as a cheat sheet and will come in handy the next time you need to complete a task.
To connect to a remote machine, you need its IP address or name. Load the terminal or any SSH client and type
ssh followed by the IP address:
or name:
The first time you connect to a host, you’ll see this message:
Create an SSH key pair. Use the ssh-keygen command to generate SSH public and private key files. By default, these files are created in the /.ssh directory. You can specify a different location, and an optional password (passphrase) to access the private key file. If an SSH key pair with the same name exists in the given location, those files are overwritten. May 08, 2019 SSH is a protocol for secure remote login and other secure network services over an insecure network.Kinsta provides SSH access on all of our hosting plans.SSH access allows you to log into a command prompt, perform common sysadmin tasks, and execute commands just as if you were sitting at the server itself.
Type yes and hit enter. You may need to enter your password as well.
SSH uses the current user when accessing a remote server. To specify a user for an SSH connection, run the command in this format:
For instance:
By default, the SSH server listens for a connection on port 22. If the port setting in the SSH config file has been changed, you’ll need to specify the port. Otherwise, you will get this error:
To connect to a remote host with a custom SSH port number, use the -p flag. For example:
To improve the security of SSH connections, generate a key pair with the keygen utility. The pair consists of a public and private key. The public key can be shared, while the private key needs to stay secure.
SSH key pairs are used to authenticate clients to servers automatically. When you create an SSH key pair, there is no longer a need to enter a password to access a server.
On the host machine’s terminal, use this command to create a key pair:
To use default settings, hit Enter on the prompts for file location and passphrase.
To use the key pair for SSH authentication, you’ll need to copy the public key to a server. The key is the file id_rsa.pub previously created with SSH keygen utility.
To copy your key to a server, run this command from the client:
You can also specify a username if you don’t want to use the current user.
Enter the password to authenticate when asked. After this, you will no longer need to use the password to connect to the same server.
You can securely copy files over the SSH protocol using the SCP tool. The basic syntax is:
For example, to copy a file sample3 to your Desktop on a remote server with a username test, type in:
The output shows a summary of the operation.
Make sure to use the uppercase
-P flag if you need to specify the port.
You can control how remote users can access a server via the SSH. Edit the settings in the
sshd_config file to customize SSH server options. Make sure to edit only the options you are familiar with. A server can become inaccessible due to bad configuration.
Use the editor of your choice to edit the file. You’ll need superuser permissions to make changes. In Linux, we use vim:
In the command line on a remote host, type in:
Enter the sudo password, and the shell opens the file in the editor you used.
When you make changes to the SSH configuration, you’ll need to restart the service in Linux.
Depending on the Linux distro, run one of the following commands on the machine where you modified the settings:
or:
Finally, enter the password to complete the process. As a result, the next SSH session will use the new settings.
Working on a remote server using SSH requires knowing basic SSH commands. Use the commands and options in this article to manage a remote host. Note that you can combine the flags to get the output you need.
Use the
pwd command to show the file system path.
The output displays the location of the directory you are in.
To list the contents of a current working folder, use the ls command.
The shell will show the names of all directories, files, and links. To get more information, add one of the following flags:
To navigate to a specific folder, use the
cd command and a name or path of a directory.
Remember that the names are case sensitive. Use
cd without a name or path to return to the user’s home directory.
Useful
cd options include:
Generate Ssh Key Osx
Use the
cp command to copy a file or directory. You’ll need to include the name of the file and the target location.
To copy file1 from Desktop to Dir1, type in:
To change the name of file1 while copying it to another destination, use this format:
This command copies file1 to Dir1 with a name you specify.
To copy a directory and its contents, use the -r flag in this format:
Generate Ssh Key Mac Command Line Delete File
The
mv command works in the same manner as the copy command.
For instance, to move a file to another location, type in:
The
touch command allows you to create a new file with any extension.
In the terminal, enter the following command:
For example, to create a system.log file, type in:
To create a directory, use the
mkdir command. Enter a new directory name or full path in this format:
Or:
To delete a Linux file , use
rm in this format:
In addition, you can enter a full path:
To delete a directory, add the
-r flag to the rm command.
To view the status of all network adapters, use the
ifconfig command. Moreover, when you don’t use any options with ifconfig, the output displays only active interfaces.
To clear the current working area of your bash screen, type
clear in the shell. This command clears one portion of the screen and shifts up the previous output.
To remove the output from the terminal completely, use the
reset command.
Run a Command on a Remote Server from a Local Computer
This method does not create a new shell. Instead, it runs a command and returns the user to the local prompt. You can create a file, copy files, or run any other SSH command in this format.
Mac Ssh Public Key
To remotely execute a command from the local machine, append an instruction to the SSH command. For example, to delete a file, type in:
Generate Ssh Key Command Prompt
Enter the password, and the file on the remote server will be deleted without creating a new shell.
The SSH tool comes with many optional parameters. The table below lists common SSH options and the corresponding descriptions.
This article has covered the 19 most popular commands for using the SSH tool effectively. Now you can manage your server remotely with an added layer of security and have these commands at your fingertips.
Before executing these commands and options on a live server, we do recommend using a test machine first.
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Log in with an SSH private key on Linux and macOS
This article demonstrates how to use a private key to log in to a Linux速server by using a private key with a Terminal session on macOS速. However,you can follow the same process to use a private key when using anyterminal software on Linux.
Note: For information about using Secure Shell (SSH) private keys on Microsoft速 Windows速 operating systems, see Logging in with an SSH Private Key on Windowsand Generate RSA keys with SSH by using PuTTYgen.
Mac Command Line CommandsPrerequisites
To complete this process, you need the following software applications:
Log in with a private key
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