The Secure Shell

ssh (Secure Shell) is the standard cryptographic network protocol used to operate network services securely over an unsecured network, primarily for remote command-line login.

Basic Connection Syntax

ssh [username]@[hostname or IP]

Example: Connecting to your local Virtual Machine (if SSH server is installed):

bash $ ssh user@192.168.1.50

First Connection

On the first connection, the client (your machine) saves the server's public key fingerprint into ~/.ssh/known_hosts. You will be asked to confirm the key.

Security Note

SSH encrypts all traffic, including passwords and commands, making it far superior to older protocols like Telnet.