6 Best SSH Clients for Linux

When it comes to technology, security cannot be compromised. This is why SSH Clients continue to be popular and commonly used, even in 2022. SSH Clients are used to connect computers to secure SSH servers, using a secure connection. There are many popular SSH Clients for Windows or MacOS devices, but in this article, we’ll be focusing on finding the best SSH Clients for Linux users. In this article, we’ll be outlining our picks for the best Linux SSH Clients that you can try out this 2022.

What are the Best SSH Clients for Linux in 2022?

These are the 6 best SSH Clients for Linux in 2022.

• PuTTY
• Remmina
• OpenSSH
• SecureCRT
• Absru Connection Manager
• Termius

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1. PuTTY

PuTTY is highly regarded as the most popular SSH client for Linux users, and for good reason. It prides itself on being a free-to-use and accessible software because it is an open source software. At first, some people might be skeptical about whether or not it remains effective, because of it being quite old. But, even with its discovery in 1999, it continues to become a stable source of support with the help of volunteers updating its software.

PuTTY also allows users to control the multiple SSH encryption key. Besides this, PuTTY does not require users to install the software onto their devices, making it easy to access the platform on different devices. The user interface is easy to navigate and it is well organized, making it comfortable to use. For a straightforward and robust SSH Client, PuTTY is a greatly reliable one.

Pros

• Open-sourced SSH Client
• Free-to-use
• Robust and reliable
• Clean and organized user interface
• Provides a portable version for ease of access
• allows SSH tunneling

Cons

• It only supports one session in a single window

2. Remmina

Another alternative to SSH Clients like PuTTY is Remmina. It efficiently accomplishes its goal of connecting your Linux device to a remote server, safely and securely. Similar to PuTTY, Remmina is an open-sourced software, making it an appealing option compared to other SSH Clients. Remmina features a wide array of network protocols that you can choose from, such as RDP, VNC, XDMCP, EXEC, SPICE, and of course, SSH. Beyond this, users can also adopt total control over how the connection is made by adjusting its bandwidth from Remmina’s settings.

Beyond these great features, the user interface is also clean and organized. Remmina is able to automatically organize and sort the available connections based on their profiles. This allows for a more comfortable user experience without needing the overly complicated features to ruin its efficiency.

One downside to Remmina, however, is its lack of support for custom regex highlighting. If you’re looking for another straightforward SSH Client, Remmina remains a solid addition to your software.

Pros

• Free-to-use
• Simple and intuitive User Interface
• Supports a variety of network protocols, including SSH and SPICE.
• Offers full control over the quality of the connection
• Open-source SSH Client
• Free to use

Cons

• No custom regex highlighting option

3. OpenSSH

If you want a more in-depth and extensive SSH Client, OpenSSH might be the one for you. OpenSSH is one of the oldest, and therefore, one of the most reliable SSH Clients available to the public right now. It ensures a secure connection through its encrypted system, making it impossible for potentially harmful individuals to track your activity online once you are connected to your chosen server. Additionally, OpenSSH also provides a variety of methods to authenticate and secure your connections.

The two main downsides to using OpenSSH is its lack of ability to manage multiple hosts at one time. The second downside is that it’s quite difficult for beginners to get a handle on due to its user interface and features. Depending on what you’re looking for in an SSH Client, OpenSSH remains a great Client with its features for security and variety.

Pros

• Reliable and good variety of tools
• Offers great security features
• Comes with command-line UI, which is ideal for professionals

Cons

• Can’t manage a large number of hosts
• Not ideal for beginners

4. SecureCRT

SecureCRT is another SSH Client that is suited for professionals because of its premium features and extensive security options. The SecureCRT allows for users to securely transfer any and all files they need while accessing a secure remote server. The premium features of this SSH Client makes it greatly suitable for multitasking and organization. This can be done through color-coding different activities or using fonts or other kinds of markers to keep track of your activity.

SecureCRT’s arguably best feature is its industry-standard encryption to fully secure your information and connection from unwanted outsiders. Another example of its security features is its ability to offer secure authentication through public passwords.

Because of these features, it might be difficult for beginners to grasp and become comfortable with. However, for professionals who are already familiar with how SSH Clients work, it’s a great platform to use.  SecureCRT can only be accessed by purchasing it for $99/year. Despite this paywall, it’s considered as a good deal because of its extensive and important features.

Pros

• Offers robust security
• Known for its reliability
• It makes it easy to organize sessions using unique colors and fonts.
• Good value for money

Cons

• Expensive
• Not beginner friendly

5. Absru Connection Manager

The fifth contender on our list of the best SSH Clients for Linux is Absru Connection Manager. Arguably the strongest feat about Absru is how comprehensive it is with its features. Absru allows its users to utilize different network protocols such as SSH, FTP, RDP Serial, Telnet, Mosh, and SSH2. Besides this, Absru also accommodates the use of KeePassX integration, which enables users to supply authentication credentials through a secure channel. This also applies to SSH key file paraphrases.

Even with these extensive features Absru Connection Manager maintains a solid user experience because of its organizational and management features when it comes to sorting multiple connections. This makes Absru suitable for experts who want to host several connections at the same time. Another notable feature about this software is that users can write custom scripts to execute their own commands.

Even with these robust features, Absru has issues when it comes to bugs. However, this can easily be overlooked and there are developers that are looking into resolving them on a consistent basis. Overall, Absru is a greatly reliable and powerful SSH Client. If you want to make use of a lot of features for your SSH Client, Absru Connection Manager is an excellent option for you.

Pros

• Works well with a variety of Protocols, including SSH, RDP, and Serial.
• Offers a variety of useful features, including KeePassX Integration and Scripting support
• Lightweight
• Offers connections grouping feature
• It comes with a terminal UI

Cons

• Have bugs in the software

6. Termius

The final SSH Client on our list is a software called Termius. Termius is another reliable open-sourced SSH Client that allows you to connect to remote servers safely and securely. One unique feature about this platform is that you can organize hosts into groups. With doing this, users can also customize the groups’ settings and preferences.

For Termius, security is the name of the game. It utilizes end-to-end encryptions for all of the server connections made on it. This ensures that all connections and devices linked to these servers are completely impossible to breach. Another great feature found on Termius is the inclusion of snippets. These are essentially shell commands that can be used on different hosts without any restriction. Finally, Termius allows for users to sync with different devices, making it much more flexible and convenient to use.

If you’re looking for an SSH client that keeps up with the modern times for both its features and feel, definitely consider using Termius in the future.

Pros

• Open-source SSH Client
• It comes with a terminal UI
• Offers robust security
• Comes with useful features, including cross-device sync
• Available for all major platforms, including Linux, Android, and iOS.

Cons

• Not ideal for beginners

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an SSH client?

An SSH client is a software application that allows you to establish secure shell (SSH) connections to remote servers. It is used for secure remote access and file transfer between a client and server.

What are some popular SSH clients for Linux?

Some popular SSH clients for Linux are OpenSSH, Remmina, and Putty. These clients offer a secure and reliable way to connect to remote servers using the SSH protocol. In 2023, there are various popular SSH clients available for Linux. Some top choices include PuTTY, OpenSSH, and Bitvise SSH Client.

PuTTY is known for its support on both Linux and Windows operating systems. OpenSSH is a widely-used SSH server and client that is native to Linux and offers great compatibility with Linux servers. Bitvise SSH Client, on the other hand, is favored for its user-friendly interface and extensive set of features, including command history. Mac users can also utilize OpenSSH as it supports both Linux and Mac OS.

How can I use SSH for file transfer?

To use SSH for file transfer, you can use a command line tool like scp or an SFTP client that supports SSH, such as FileZilla. These tools allow you to securely upload and download files between your local machine and a remote server.

Is there an SSH client available for Windows?

Yes, there are several SSH clients available for Windows. One of the most popular options is PuTTY, which is a free and open-source SSH client. It provides a powerful command line interface for SSH and supports various authentication methods. Yes, there is an SSH client available for Windows. While Windows is primarily a server, there are several SSH clients that can be used on Windows as a client.

Some of these clients are open source and based on the Linux system. They provide features such as multi-hop mode using SSH TCP forwarding and a web-based SSH console. Additionally, users can manage their public SSH keys and perform top-level SSH key management tasks using these clients.

What is the difference between SSH and Telnet?

SSH (Secure Shell) and Telnet are both network protocols used to establish remote shell sessions. However, SSH provides encrypted communication and better security compared to Telnet, which sends data in plaintext. It is recommended to use SSH for secure remote access. The main difference between SSH and Telnet lies in their security levels and protocols. SSH (Secure Shell) ensures secure data transmission by encrypting the data sent over the network.

On the other hand, Telnet is not secure and transmits data in plain text format, making it susceptible to eavesdropping and other security risks. SSH enforces best practices for secure remote access to Windows and Linux systems, while Telnet is an older protocol. For the best terminal experience, Termius, a free and open-source terminal emulator, offers customizable SSH connections for remote Linux systems.

Can you recommend the best SSH clients for Linux?

Here are the top recommended SSH clients for Linux in 2023:

• OpenSSH – The default SSH client for most Linux distributions.
• Remmina – A feature-rich remote desktop client with SSH support.
• Bitvise SSH Client – A graphical SSH client for Windows, also available for Linux.
• FileZilla – A popular FTP/SFTP client with SSH support.

What are SSH keys?

SSH keys are a pair of cryptographic keys consisting of a public key and a private key. They are used for authentication and secure communication between an SSH client and an SSH server. Public keys are stored on the server, while private keys are kept on the client-side for authentication.

Can I use SSH to establish multiple connections?

Yes, you can use SSH to establish multiple connections. SSH allows you to connect to remote hosts over SSH and establish multiple concurrent sessions. This can be achieved using forwarding for OpenSSH clients. In multi-hop mode, SSH uses SSH TCP forwarding to tunnel through multiple SSH hosts. This mode is useful when you need to access a remote host that is not directly accessible. By utilizing SSH TCP forwarding, you can create a secure tunnel through multiple SSH hosts to reach your desired destination.

Conclusion

And that wraps up our list of the 6 Best SSH Clients for Linux in 2022. We hope that you were able to find the right Client that fits your needs and experience.