What is SSH Terminal Emulator?
An SSH terminal emulator, also known as an SSH client, is a software application that enables users to connect to remote Linux or UNIX servers, networking devices and other computers via the Secure Shell (SSH) network protocol. It essentially provides a terminal interface on the local computer that facilitates executing commands, editing files and managing the remote system as if you're sitting right in front of it.
SSH terminal emulators are invaluable tools for system administrators, developers, network engineers and others who need regular access and control of servers and networking equipment located in data centers or hosted by cloud providers. Some key capabilities provided by SSH clients include:
- Establishing strongly encrypted SSH connections to remote hosts for secure communication.
- Supporting different types of authentication methods like password, public key, etc.
- Providing a terminal interface to execute shell commands and access files on the remote system.
- Facilitating secure file transfers using SFTP and SCP protocols.
- Automating tasks through scripting and command scheduling.
- Recording terminal sessions for auditing or documentation.
- Port forwarding to tunnel traffic or access network services.
Popular SSH terminal apps include PuTTY, Solar PuTTY, SecureCRT, OpenSSH, Bitvise SSH Client, MobaXterm and Termius. These provide connection capabilities along with additional features for configuration, scripting, transfer protocols, port forwarding and session management.