How do I fix SSH connection refused?

The SSH connection refused error may indicate that your SSH credentials are invalid, the remote server’s security settings have blocked your connection, or there is a networking issue. To fix this issue, you can try checking your SSH username and password for accuracy, ensuring that your public/private key pairs are set up correctly, and making sure that any firewall or IP filters on the remote server’s side aren’t blocking access. Additionally, it may be helpful to use a VPN or another type of secure tunnel such as an SSH Tunnel to establish a more reliable connection.

SSH Terminal for Mac/Windows/Linux [Best SSH Client]

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SSH is an amazing technique that allows a user to connect to the remote computer which runs an SSH server. It is a multi-purpose protocol that provides secured system administration and file transfer. The full form of SSH is a Secure Shell Protocol used for remote terminal connections, allowing a user to access the text-mode terminal on the remote system. You can also use it for SCP file transfer, SSH tunneling, etc. Multiple SSH terminals exist for Linux, Windows, and macOS. This blog considers everything about the SSH terminal for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Let us read on!

What is SSH?

Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic protocol for securely operating network services over an unsecured network. The standard SSH port is 22. SSH is typically used to access shell accounts on remote servers to execute commands or transfer files. It can also be used to establish a secure tunnel for other applications such as email, chat, and VoIP clients.

SSH uses public-key cryptography to authenticate the remote computer and allow it to authenticate the user. A key pair, consisting of a private key and a public key, is generated on the client's computer. The private key is kept secret and is used to encrypt and decrypt messages. The public key is sent to the server and used to encrypt messages that the private key can only decrypt.

SSH provides confidentiality and integrity by encrypting all traffic with symmetric encryption algorithms such as AES or Triple DES. In addition, SSH can use message authentication codes (MACs) to ensure that messages have not been altered in transit. SSH also provides compression, speeding up data transfers over slow links.

What is SSH client [SSH Terminal]

An SSH client is a program that allows you to connect to a linux dedicated server or linux VPS using the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. Once you're connected, you can run commands on the remote machine just as if you were sitting in front of it.

There are many SSH clients available for all major operating systems. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the best SSH clients for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

12 Best SSH Client Software

PuTTY (Windows, Linux, Mac)

PuTTY is one of the most popular SSH clients and terminals for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It is free, open-source software that can connect to remote servers and computers. PuTTY supports various protocols such as SSH, Telnet, rlogin, and raw socket connection. Its features include session management, window customization, keyboard shortcuts, a scrollback buffer, and support for multiple languages.

Features of PuTTY

Client for Windows, Mac, and Linux ports are available.
The MSI installer is available since 2016 and supports both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows.
The application supports SSH client, telnet client, SFTP client, and rlogin client. It supports both SSH2 and SSH1 protocols.
Active Directory/Kerberos authentication and public key authentication are supported.

Solar-PuTTY (Windows)

There are multiple alternatives to Solar-PuTTY, but this SSH terminal is one of the best platforms for Windows. You can run Solar-PuTTY if you have Windows 7,8,8.1,10, 2012, 2016, etc. Besides that, it is important to have a .NET 4.6.1 version of Microsoft.NET to run it properly.

As we know, there is no built-in SSH command, but Solar-PuTTY works to fulfill every requirement of Windows in terms of the SSH terminal. The download process is simple and a free tool, so you don't have to worry about anything.

Features of Solar-PuTTY

Here is the list of features offered by Solar-PuTTY:

Users can easily manage different sessions with a single console(tab interface).
Users can save the credential to any session for easier logins.
It allows automation of the scripts you are using while establishing the connections.
You can find the saved session easily because it has a Windows search integration.
It doesn't require an installation procedure, so users can start working immediately.

KiTTY (Windows)

KiTTY is based on the 0.74 version of PuTTY; it is one of the best SSH clients used by millions of users worldwide. As KiTTY is based on PuTTY, it is specifically developed for Windows. This SSH terminal provides the automatic password feature, which benefits the automatic connection to the ssh-1, telnet, ssh-2 servers, etc.

KiTTY has all of the features of PuTTY but also has multiple features to fulfill the users' requirements. It has a good capacity to maintain the port knocking sequence. Users can easily integrate this SSH terminal into Internet Explorer or different browsers such as Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Features of KiTTY

Here is the list of features included in KiTTY:

It provides multiple options such as Portability, Sessions filter, and Automatic password.
There is a "send to the tray" feature for every session.
KiTTY allows a user to run the locally saved scripts on the remote session.
Users can easily start a duplicate session.
Users can integrate KiTTY with WinSCP and pscp.exe.

MobaXterm (Windows)

MobaXterm is one of the best tools that provides multiple features for remote computing. It offers multiple functions tailored for web admins, programmers, IT administrators, and those who need to manage their remote work easily.

The home edition of MobaXterm is free, but if you want a more premium version, you can go for the professional edition, which costs $69 per user. It is a portable application that you can use from a USB stick. Besides that, you will get remote network tools such as SSH, X11, and RDP in the single portable .exe file. MobaXterm also has a text editor that provides more portability and convenience.

Features of MobaXterm

We have listed the top features offered by MobaXterm:

It offers an embedded X11-forwarding, X server, and a tabbed terminal with SSH.
There is a UNIX command feature, meaning users can use the UNIX commands on Windows.
Users can extend the platform by plugins.
There is a network security option for graphical applications and file transfers by encryption using a secure SSH connection.

OpenSSH (macOS, Windows, Linux)

OpenSSH is one of the best SSH terminals for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is a great tool for remote login with SSH protocols, which is suitable for techno-geeks. OpenSSH encrypts the traffic (including passwords) to efficiently eliminate connection hijacking, eavesdropping, and other dangerous attacks. Besides that, OpenSSH offers a secured tunneling capability and some authentication procedures. It also supports all the SSH protocol versions. This tool offers a huge suite of various sophisticated configuration options. The installation and setting up procedure is also simple, which means anyone can use it in their system.

Features of OpenSSH

Here is the list of top features offered by OpenSSH:

OpenSSH has secure remote logins.
It has secured file transfer.
It has a secured remote command execution.
It has a great access control feature.
There is a port forwarding option.

Hyper (macOS, Windows, Linux)

Hyper is a great SSH terminal that offers cross-platform support and is built on open web standards. This tool gives a comprehensive command-line experience that offers consistent benefits to various, including Windows, macOS, and Linux distros like Debian Fedora. According to their website, the goal of the Hyper is to create an amazing experience for command-line users. Primarily, Hyper focused on speed, great experience, stability, and appropriate API development for the extension authors.

Features of Hyper

Here is the list of features in Hyper:

It offers compatibility with Microsoft Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.
Users can use the SSH protocol for secure log in to the server or other computer over TCP/IP networks.
There is improved compatibility of Zmodem for the users of serial ports and dial-up modems.
Some features allow users to check for updates in the HyperTerminal Private edition.
It has a 30-day free trial, and other qualities have improved in the latest version.

Termius (Windows, Linux, Mac)

Termius is not only an SSH client as it offers a complete command-line solution that redefines the meaning of remote access for network engineers and sysadmins. This SSH terminal offers the facility to securely access Linux or any other IoT devices so that users can quickly fix the issues through phone or laptop.

Termius gives different features to organize hosts in groups, and these groups allow a user to share the settings, but every host has its particular preference. In this SSH terminal, data, connection, and command history are securely synced through every device. Termius also uses end-to-end encryption to ensure that the user’s data remains secure.

Features of Termius

Here is the list of features of offered Termius:

It offers the feature to sync the data easily.
There are multiple plans to fulfill different requirements.
There are SSH and port forwarding options.
It has multi-platform support which means you can run it on macOS, Windows, Linux, and different devices such as mobile and laptop.

Bitvise SSH Client (Windows)

Assuming you are looking for an SSH client and terminal for Windows, the first option that comes to mind is Bitvise.

Bitvise has been around for a while, and it's one of Windows's most popular SSH clients. It's easy to use and has all the features you would expect from a good SSH client.

Features of Bitvise

- Support for SFTP and FTPS
- Powerful SSH port forwarding capabilities
- One-click Tunneling Wizard for easy setup of SSH tunnels
- Graphical user interface (GUI) or command line interface (CLI)
- Supports public key authentication and GSSAPI authentication
- Integrates with Pageant (PuTTY Authentication Agent) for storing private keys securely

Xshell

If you're looking for a powerful and versatile SSH client, Xshell is a great choice. It supports various features, including X11 forwarding, port forwarding, and connection sharing. It's also compatible with many operating systems, making it a good option if you need to connect to servers running different OSes.

Features of Xshell

Supports SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, TELNET, RLOGIN, and SERIAL protocols
Supports Windows Vista/7/8/10, Server 2008/2012/2016
Supports OpenSSH and ssh.com servers
Supports having multi-tabs in a single window
Supports displaying multiple tab groups in a single window
Multi-user setting
Keep alive option
SOCKS4/5, HTTP proxy connection
Custom key mapping
VB, Jscript, Python scripting
IPv6 support
Kerberos(MIT Keberos, Microsoft SSPI) authentication support
SSH/Telnet Tracking

Tmux (Linux, Mac)

Tmux is a terminal multiplexer that allows you to run multiple terminals in a single window. It is similar to GNU Screen, but has a few extra features that make it more useful for power users.

Tmux is particularly useful if you are working on a remote server over SSH, as it allows you to keep your session open even if your connection is interrupted. It also makes it easy to detach and reattach to your session, so you can continue where you left off.

Tmux Features

For the terminal, it behaves like a Windows Manager.
Multiple processes can be run simultaneously inside the terminal.
Even after closing the terminal, it allows applications and processes to run in the background.
In addition to being scriptable, configurable, and with a powerful command system, it is able to retrieve and manipulate information about its objects.
Users can further enhance their experience with a mature set of tools developed by the community.

mRemoteNG (Windows)

mRemoteNG is a fork of mRemote, an open-source, multi-protocol remote connection manager. It supports various protocols such as RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, and more. mRemoteNG is free and open-source software released under the GNU General Public License.

mRemoteNG is a powerful tool for managing remote connections. It supports a wide range of protocols and can be easily configured to work with your existing infrastructure. mRemoteNG is free and open source software released under the GNU General Public License, making it a great choice for those looking for a flexible and affordable solution for managing remote connections.

SecureCRT (Windows, Linux, Mac)

SecureCRT is a powerful SSH client for Windows, Linux and Mac. It offers a wide range of features, including support for multiple protocols, automatic connection profile management, and more. SecureCRT is a great choice for anyone looking for a reliable and feature-rich SSH client.

Conclusion

That wraps the complete information on the different SSH terminals available for macOS, Windows, and Linux distros. SSH offers a remote connection where teams and one or more users can work on the same server. Different SSH terminals exist to fulfill the requirements of different users with Windows, macOS, and Linux. The above list is based on the popularity and the user reviews; you can choose these according to your requirements. Which one do you prefer and why? If something that you use is not on the list, let us know in the comments.

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