Today we will learn How to connect a Linux server From Windows, Linux, and macOS. Dealing with servers can be quite a complex task and we are not even talking about being a server administrator. Something as simple as connecting to a remote server can be difficult for complete beginners. While servers running Windows Server OS can be controlled remotely using Microsoft’s proprietary Remote Desktop Protocol, most servers on the World Wide Web run Linux distributions.
Connecting to a Linux server or VPS does not require much technical knowledge; however, it’s not as self-explanatory as connecting to their Windows counterparts. Therefore, without anyone showing how to accomplish this, most novice users will see this as a roadblock. This post is intended to help you determine how to connect to your remote Linux server or VPS, however, let’s cover some bases first.
What is a Linux?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. It is a service provided by a web host that divides a bare-metal server into smaller virtual machines. These VMs are then rented for a fraction of the price of a dedicated server, and each acts as a standalone server with its own operating system and dedicated resources. A Linux VPS, as you may have already guessed, is a virtual private server running a Linux distribution such as Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, etc. If you want to know more about VPS servers and what they can be used for, check out our detailed blog on what is VPS.
What is SSH?
SSH (i.e., Secure Shell) is a very secure and powerful network protocol that allows users to directly access a Linux server’s command line. This will give you the ability to run Linux commands that control your VPS server and manipulate files and applications from the comfort of your home (or office). By default, the secure shell is use port 22. However, we recommend that you change the port for security purposes as this is the first port that potential hackers will try in case of an attack.
SSH is already automatically built-in to macOS and Linux operating systems but not Windows. Therefore, before attempting to connect to a Linux server from a Windows system, you must first install an SSH client such as PuTTY.
In fact, PuTTY is the SSH client we’re using for this article, and we recommend you do the same.
What is PuTTY?
Putty is a free software application for the Microsoft Windows operating system that can be used to make an SSH connection to your server. This is an SSH and Telnet client, originally developed by Simon Tatham for the Windows platform. PuTTY is open source software developed and maintained by a group of volunteers. Please note that the IP addresses and usernames used in the following sections of this article are purely to serve as an example and are owned by Oudel Inc. or represent any actual server owned by any other entity (as far as we know).
How to Connect a Linux Server to Windows
As mentioned earlier, to log into a Linux server from a Windows device, we will use a third-party software called PuTTY. If you don’t already have it installed, you can download the app here.
Step 1: Open the PuTTY terminal client. You will be greeted with following window:
Step 2: Enter your connection settings:
- Hostname: Enter your server’s IP here
- Port: 22 (leave as default)
- Connection Type: SSH (leave as default)
Step 3: Click “Open” to start SSH session.
If this is the first time connecting to the server from your computer, you will see the following output. Accept the connection by clicking “Yes”.
Once the SSH connection is opened, you will see a terminal prompt asking for your username.
Step 4: Enter the root username of your server as “root”.
Step 5: Next, enter your password. You can find this on the Client Portal. After you type it, press “Enter”.
Please note that you will not see your cursor move or see any characters typed as you type your password. Don’t worry, this is a standard Putty security feature.
How to connect a Linux server to Linux
Step 1: Open Terminal. To do this, press Ctrl+Alt+T at the same time or type terminal in the search function.
Step 2: In the following command type ssh username@serveripaddress where username is the user you are connecting to (use root if you want root access) and server IP address is The IP address of the server to which you are connecting. Then press “Enter”.
For example: Given a user ID of “user1” and a URL of server:1.com (82.149.65.12), the following syntax would be required to connect to the server:
ssh [email protected]
OR
ssh [email protected]
Step 3: Write the password for the selected user and press “Enter”.
How to connect a Linux to macOS
Step 1: Open Terminal. To do this, go to Applications > Utilities and then open Terminal.
Step 2: Type the following command ssh username@serveripaddress where username is the user you are connecting to (use root if you want root access) and server IP address is The IP address of this server to which you are connecting. Then press “Enter”.
For example: Given a user ID of “user1” and a URL of server1.com(82.149.65.12), the following syntax would be required to connect to the server:
ssh [email protected]
OR
ssh [email protected]
Step 3: Write the password for the chosen user and tap”Enter”.
Conclusion
Linux server management can be quite a handful for inexperienced users. We hope that today’s article has given you some insight into what virtual servers and SSH are. We also hope that this detailed guide helps you take the first step in learning how to connect and take control of your Linux.
