Connecting to a Remote Linux Server Using SSH

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For system administrators and developers, the ability to manage remote Linux servers is crucial. SSH (Secure Shell) is the industry-standard protocol for establishing secure, encrypted connections to remote machines.

SSH provides a protected channel for sensitive login credentials, command execution, and file transfers. It offers a significant security upgrade over legacy protocols like Telnet, which transmit data in plaintext.

This article assumes you have a basic understanding of command-line interfaces (like a terminal or command prompt).

Getting Started with SSH

The ssh command comes in handy whenever you want to connect to remote Linux servers. Let’s take a look at how to use the command:

$ ssh <username>@<remote_host_ip>

Where:

• ssh is the command itself, instructing your system to initiate an SSH connection.
• <username> is your host username on the remote Linux server you want to access.
• <remote_host_ip> represents the IP address of the remote server. You can also use a domain name (e.g., www.example.com) if you have one configured and it correctly points to the server’s IP address.