5 Best SSH Clients for Windows

Are you looking for the best SSH client for Windows?

Then you’re in the right place.

An SSH client is a program that uses secure shell to connect to a remote system, it is most commonly used for remote command line login and execution.

I use an SSH client on a daily basis to securely access switches, routers, servers and other systems.

There are many SSH programs available most of them are free but there are also some commercial programs that include advanced features.

In this article, I will share the best SSH clients for Windows.

1. Putty

Putty is a lightweight and simple terminal program for Windows. It supports SSH client, telnet, SFTP, and rlogn.

Putty is useful for administrations that need to establish an SSH connection to remote systems such as network switches, routers, unix systems, vmware and so on. It allows you to save session configurations, session logging, and screen customization.

Additional features include a 32 bit and 64 bit client, supports SSH2 and SSH1 protocols, it does allow for screen customization but it’s a bit cumbersome.

Putty has a simple interface and is very easy to use. You can save sessions which allows for quick ssh access but unfortunately, it doesn’t save credentials.

Putty is a good starter SSH client, if you are a power user that needs more features then move on.

2. Solar Putty

Solar Putty is a new SSH client that has a multi tab interface to support multiple sessions from one console.

Solar Putty has many features that are missing in Putty such as saved credentials, support for multiple sessions, quick access to the most recent sessions and integration of Windows search.

In addition to SSH, Solar Putty supports telnet, SCP, SFTP TFP protocols.

The tabbed interface makes it easy to establish multiple sessions and switch back and forth between them. The browser like homepage provides quick and intuitive access to sessions and with the ability to save credentials you can establish an SSH session in one simple click.

I really like this tool and I’ve been using it to connect to Cisco switches and various servers. Another feature worth mentioning is the ability to customize colors, this helps to organize sessions and group similar types together.

3. SecureCRT

SecureCRT is an SSH client that supports SSH1, SSH2, Telnet, Rlogin, serial and TAPI protocol.

SecureCRT is a commercial product that has a traditional Windows style interface.

Features in the latest release include color customization, line rewrapping, paste confirmation, drag and drop multiple sessions, sessions management, encryption enhancements, and recent session list.

If you don’t need to manage a session you can use the quick connect option, no configuration required.

Although it has similar features to other programs it is still a popular choice by system admins.

4. MremoteNG

mRemoteNG is another SSH client that supports multiple protocols and handles connection details.

It supports the following protocls: RDP, VNC, ICA, SSH, telnet, http/https, rlogin and raw sockets.

Just like Solar Putty it has the ability to open multiple sessions in a tabbed interface. You can create folders to organize sessions and store credentials.

mRemoteNG is not loaded with a lot of bells and whistles, it’s a very basic connection manager that works very well.

5. MobaXterm

MobaXterm provides support for SSH, telnet, Rlogin, RDP, VNC, XDMCP, FTP, and SFTP.

MobaXterm contains similar features to the other clients but has some interesting additional features.

Additional features include x server, plugin support, macro support, multi-execution, ssh gateway, ssh tunnels (port forwarding), text editor and more.

MobaXterm embedded terminal can highlight syntax or use different colors on keywords. You can even build your own syntax to define what keywords get color (pretty cool).

Compared to other products this one does have a busy interface but I did find it easy to use. It might be overwhelming for those that just need a simple SSH client, for those that need an advanced SSH client this is a great choice.

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for an SSH client then you can’t go wrong with any on this list. Each has its pros and cons and some have additional features than others.

It all depends on what you need.

Personally, I use multiple SSH clients.

On my main workstation, I will use Solar Putty, it has all my saved information for most frequently used sessions for quick access. I can also import and export settings to share with other team members.

I use putty on remote servers or VMs where I just need it from time to time. This is used for specific use cases such as connecting to a single system.

To find what fits best for your needs I suggest you download and try them out for yourself.

Recommended Tool: SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

This utility was designed to Monitor Active Directory and other critical services like DNS & DHCP. It will quickly spot domain controller issues, prevent replication failures, track failed logon attempts and much more.

What I like best about SAM is it’s easy to use dashboard and alerting features. It also has the ability to monitor virtual machines and storage.

SSH for Windows Home — Download from Several Choices

Microsoft Windows is the world’s most popular operating system. In its different versions it is used extensively in practically every corporation — both on the users’ desktops and in the servers of computing centers.

The lack of a native SSH for Windows is perhaps the most serious shortcoming of the world’s most popular operating system. The need has been recognized also by Microsoft (in their blog ). However, the Microsoft implementation is apparently only a command-line client.

Contents

SSH Windows Servers

Windows servers require an SSH server to be installed to allow secure remote login, secure file transfers, and automated remote command execution. There are several SSH server implementations available.

Tectia SSH is the leading Windows SSH server implementation. Other implementations are available from companies such as Bitvise, and community project teams such as FileZilla (for file transfers only). Microsoft has announced their plan of making a port of OpenSSH available in Windows. SSH is used in practically all corporate networks for securing remote management, file transfers, and automated tasks.

The announcement of the upcoming OpenSSH support for Windows PowerShell was given in mid 2015, and the target date for software availability was in mid 2016. See Microsoft blog for details: OpenSSH support announcement and Windows Support Announcement .

Unlike the open source alternatives Tectia SSH Windows server comes with professional support services, and fully supports advances security features such as certificate authentication and SSH key management .

SSH Windows Clients

There are a number of free and commercial SSH clients available for Windows:

For brief introductions of different alternatives, see our SSH client page . There is also an extensive SSH client comparison page on Wikipedia .

Key Management for Windows SSH Servers

While SSH is everywhere and its deployments are still growing in the on-premises and cloud environments, there is an aspect of SSH that requires attention in most enterprise environments.

The SSH protocol uses SSH keys for authenticating servers and users (in both interactive and machine-to-machine cases). The numbers of these keys are such that manual management of them is unfeasible in larger environments. Yet the SSH keys are access credentials, comparable to passwords, and grant (often privileged) access to resources. Management of SSH keys is a necessity for security and regulatory compliance alike. Universal SSH Key Manager® is the best solution for managing SSH keys and access in enterprise networks — on-premise or in the cloud.

SSH Key Management Problem in Enterprise Networks

By default OpenSSH allows any user to provision permanent SSH keys for future access. Even though they are critically important access credentials they are rarely under the control of corporate IT. They have traditionally been ignored in enterprise identity and access management and related policies. This has led to what IDC calls A gaping hole in your IAM strategy” . It is clear that the situation cannot continue.

Managing SSH keys as part of the corporate identity and access management strategy is necessary for regulatory compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley , HIPAA , PCI DSS , FISMA/NIST 800-53 , and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework . It also reduces financial and reputation risks and helps ensure business continuity. Automating SSH key management can also save millions of dollars in operational costs annually in larger organizations.

Together with our customers, our mission is to secure their digital business on on-premises, cloud, and hybrid ecosystems cost-efficiently, at scale, and without disruptions to their operations or business continuity.

Использование встроенного SSH клиента в Windows 10

В Windows 10 и Windows Server 2019 появился встроенный SSH клиент, который вы можете использовать для подключения к *Nix серверам, ESXi хостам и другим устройствам по защищенному протоколу, вместо Putty, MTPuTTY или других сторонних SSH клиентов. Встроенный SSH клиент Windows основан на порте OpenSSH и предустановлен в ОС, начиная с Windows 10 1809.

Установка клиента OpenSSH в Windows 10

Клиент OpenSSH входит в состав Features on Demand Windows 10 (как и RSAT). Клиент SSH установлен по умолчанию в Windows Server 2019 и Windows 10 1809 и более новых билдах.

Проверьте, что SSH клиент установлен:

Get-WindowsCapability -Online | ? Name -like ‘OpenSSH.Client*’

В нашем примере клиент OpenSSH установлен (статус: State: Installed).

Если SSH клиент отсутствует (State: Not Present), его можно установить:

• С помощью команды PowerShell: Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client*
• С помощью DISM: dism /Online /Add-Capability /CapabilityName:OpenSSH.Client

0.0.1.0

Через Параметры -> Приложения -> Дополнительные возможности -> Добавить компонент. Найдите в списке Клиент OpenSSH и нажмите кнопку Установить.

]Бинарные файлы OpenSSH находятся в каталоге c:\windows\system32\OpenSSH\.

• ssh.exe – это исполняемый файл клиента SSH;
• scp.exe – утилита для копирования файлов в SSH сессии;
• ssh-keygen.exe – утилита для генерации ключей аутентификации;
• ssh-agent.exe – используется для управления ключами;
• ssh-add.exe – добавление ключа в базу ssh-агента.

Как использовать SSH клиенте в Windows 10?

Чтобы запустить SSH клиент, запустите командную строку PowerShell или cmd.exe . Выведите доступные параметры и синтаксис утилиты ssh.exe, набрав команду:

ssh
usage: ssh [-46AaCfGgKkMNnqsTtVvXxYy] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec]
[-D [bind_address:]port] [-E log_file] [-e escape_char]
[-F configfile] [-I pkcs11] [-i identity_file]
[-J [user@]host[:port]] [-L address] [-l login_name] [-m mac_spec]
[-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-p port] [-Q query_option] [-R address]
[-S ctl_path] [-W host:port] [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]]
destination [command]

Для подключения к удаленному серверу по SSH используется команда:

Если SSH сервер запущен на нестандартном порту, отличном от TCP/22, можно указать номер порта:

ssh username@host -p port

Например, чтобы подключиться к Linux хосту с IP адресом 192.168.1.202 под root, выполните:

При первом подключении появится запрос на добавление ключа хоста в доверенные, наберите yes -> Enter (при этом отпечаток ключа хоста добавляется в файл C:\Users\username\.ssh\known_hosts).

Затем появится запрос пароля указанной учетной записи, укажите пароль root, после чего должна открытся консоль удаленного Linux сервера (в моем примере на удаленном сервере установлен CentOS 8).

Если вы используете SSH аутентификацию по RSA ключам (см. пример с настройкой SSH аутентификации по ключам в Windows), вы можете указать путь к файлу с закрытым ключом в клиенте SSH так:

ssh root@192.168.1.92 -i «C:\Users\username\.ssh\id_rsa»

Также вы можете добавить ваш закрытый ключ в SSH-Agent. Сначала нужно включить службу ssh-agent и настроить ее автозапуск:

set-service ssh-agent StartupType ‘Automatic’
Start-Service ssh-agent

Добавим ваш закрытый ключ в базу ssh-agent:

Теперь вы можете подключиться к серверу по SSH без указания пути к RSA ключу, он будет использоваться автоматически. Пароль для подключения не запрашивается (если только вы не защитили ваш RSA ключ отдельным паролем):

Еще несколько полезных аргументов SSH:

• -C – сжимать трафик между клиентом и сервером (полезно на медленных и нестабильных подключениях);
• -v – вывод подробной информации обо всех действия клиента ssh;
• -R / -L – можно использовать для проброса портов через SSH туннель.

SCP: копирование файлов из/в Windows через SSH

С помощью утилиты scp.exe, которая входит в состав пакета клиента SSH, вы можете скопировать файл с вашего компьютера на SSH сервер:

scp.exe «E:\ISO\CentOS-8.1.1911-x86_64.iso» root@192.168.1.202:/home

Можно рекурсивно скопировать все содержимое каталога:

scp -r E:\ISO\ root@192.168.1.202:/home

И наоборот, вы можете скопировать файл с удаленного сервера на ваш компьютер:

scp.exe root@192.168.1.202:/home/CentOS-8.1.1911-x86_64.iso e:\tmp

Итак, теперь вы можете прямо из Windows 10 подключаться к SSH серверам, копировать файлы с помощью scp без установки сторонних приложений и утилит.