PuTTY: Overview and Connecting via SSH
Overview
PuTTY is a free client for several remote access protocols, including SSH.
You can use PuTTY to connect remotely to the server hosting your websites and manage your account's files and directories with commands.
Alongside the Telnet and SSH client, the PuTTY package includes several useful tools that make everyday tasks easier.
- PSCP is an SCP client for copying files over an encrypted connection from the command line.
- PSFTP is an SFTP client.
- Pageant is an SSH authentication agent for PuTTY, PSCP, PSFTP and Plink.
- PuTTYgen is a tool for generating SSH keys.
You can install the complete package or just the tools you need.
The project's official website provides English-language versions of PuTTY for Microsoft Windows and Linux. Third-party builds are also available for other platforms and languages.
Connecting via SSH with PuTTY
To connect via SSH using PuTTY, follow these steps:
- Launch PuTTY.
- In the configuration window, enter the following server connection details:
- Host Name: enter the server's IP address or hostname, as listed in your account control panel.
- Port: leave the default value of 22.
- Save the current session settings by entering a name under Saved Sessions and clicking Save.
- Click Open.
- The first time you connect, an additional confirmation window appears. Click Yes.
- A console opens, prompting you for your username and password:
- login as: enter root or the name of another user created on the server.
- password: enter that user's password. Type carefully: password characters are not displayed on the screen.
- Press Enter after entering your details. If they are correct, the connection will be established.
- You can now enter the commands you need in the console.
Once you have connected via SSH with PuTTY, you can enter commands in the console. For more information about basic SSH commands, see the article ‘Basic SSH Commands’.
Copying and Pasting
The standard Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V shortcuts cannot be used to copy and paste text in the PuTTY console.
To paste copied text, such as a password or command, into the PuTTY console, simply right-click. No additional steps are needed.
To copy text from PuTTY, select it with the left mouse button. The selected text is copied to the clipboard automatically.
For further information and guidance on using PuTTY effectively, consult the official documentation and the many resources available online.