, or Secure Shell, is a secure protocol for connecting to a remote server. To establish an SSH connection, you will need an SSH client application like PuTTY.
In this guide, you will learn how to use the SSH terminal to connect to your hosting account or a VPS server. That way, you will be able to access and manage your remote machine by running various commands.
How to download PuTTY
Putty is most commonly used on Windows, however it is also available for Linux and Mac. This is how you can download putty on different operating systems.
Windows
Download the latest version of PuTTY SSH from the . After that, install it on your computer. It’s as simple as that.
Linux
Most people use pre-installed on Linux, however PuTTY on Linux is used more for debugging, connecting to serial ports and raw sockets.
On Debian, use the following command:
sudo aptitude install putty
Followed by the tools install command:
sudo aptitude install putty-tools
Mac OS
Like Linux, macOS comes with a command-line SSH client already installed. But to download PuTTY, open the terminal window and use the following commands.
To install putty on mac:
brew install putty (or) port install putty
Configuration Requirements
Next, you’ll need a bit of information before you can start using PuTTY. You will need to:
- IP address of the server
- SSH port
- SSH username
- SSH password
If you are a user of there are two ways to find this information, depending on your hosting plan:
- go to the menu SSH access in the section Advanced. Here you will see all the login details you need. If you forgot your password, reset it easily through the menu FTP accounts.
- the credentials are located in the tab Server of the hPanel, in SSH Details. In case you don’t know what your password is, scroll down to the section root password and create a new one.
How to connect Putty
- Start the PuTTY SSH client, then enter the SSH IP and SSH port of your server. Click the button Open to continue.
- A message will appear login as:, where you will have to write your SSH username. For VPS users, this is usually root. However, on shared hosting, you may need to enter a predefined value like u721233450. After entering your username, press Enter.
- Type your SSH password and press Enter again. For security reasons, no letters will appear on your screen but what you write will be recorded.
Congratulations! You have successfully connected to your account using the PuTTY SSH client. You can find the list of available SSH commands by running help through the terminal.
How to use PuTTYgen
PuTTYgen is a tool that creates public and private key pairs. PuTTY stores these key authentications in its format files .ppk. With Windows, you will use the graphical tool puttygen.exewhile with Linux you will use the command line.
To get started, locate PuTTY and open PuTTYgen.
To create a new key pair, click the Generate button near the bottom and start moving your mouse around inside the window. Keep moving the mouse until the green progress bar is full.
Once you have completed it, your public key will appear in the window.
It is recommended to use a passphrase in addition to saving your private key.
Install the public key on the server
To grant access to an account, you will need to add the new public key to the file called ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.
First, install the public key. Then log in to your server and find the file authorized_keys. Edit the file and insert the new public key into the file. Save the file and test to see if the login works.
conclusion
We hope this article will help you to use the client putty to connect to hosting account. If you want to learn more about SSH, we have several articles that might help you:
Feel free to ask in the comments if you have questions.
Gustavo is passionate about creating websites. He focuses on the application of SEO strategies at for Spain and Latin America, as well as the creation of high-level content. When he is not applying new WordPress tricks you can find him playing the guitar, traveling or taking an online course.
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