OpenSSH
The standard SSH client and server suite for encrypted remote login, file copying and tunnelling.
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About OpenSSH
OpenSSH provides remote login over the SSH protocol, encrypting all traffic to prevent eavesdropping and connection hijacking. The suite includes ssh, scp and sftp for remote operations, ssh-add, ssh-keygen, ssh-keyscan and ssh-keysign for key management, and sshd, sftp-server and ssh-agent on the service side.
It supports several authentication methods, secure tunnelling and detailed configuration. It is developed by members of the OpenBSD Project under a BSD-style licence, with version 10.5 released in August 2026.
Strengths
- Complete client, server and key management suite
- Port forwarding and tunnelling built in
- Actively maintained with regular releases
Limitations
- Command-line only with no graphical interface
- Configuration options take time to learn
Details
- Pricing
- FreeFree and open source under a BSD-style licence.
- License
- BSD-style
- Developer
- The OpenBSD Project
- Platforms
- macOS, Linux, Self-hosted, Command line
- How it runs
- Downloadable app, Self-hosted
- Account
- Not required
- Best suited for
- Anyone who needs secure remote login and file transfer between machines
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to OpenSSH
Compare allSoftware that can replace OpenSSH for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
PuTTY
The small, stubbornly reliable SSH and Telnet client that has been on every Windows admin’s desktop for twenty-five years.
PuTTY is an MIT-licensed SSH and Telnet client with a graphical interface, mainly for Windows, bundling PSCP, PSFTP, Plink and Pageant, but it provides no SSH server.
Mosh
A remote shell that replaces interactive SSH and survives roaming, sleep and dropped connections.
Mosh replaces interactive SSH sessions with connections that survive roaming and sleep, but it needs a server component on the remote host and open UDP ports.
Termius
A cross-platform SSH client for desktop and mobile that syncs hosts, keys and snippets between devices.
Termius is a proprietary freemium SSH client for desktop and mobile that syncs hosts, keys and snippets between devices through the vendor's service, and it has no server component.
Bitvise SSH Client
A Windows SSH client combining a terminal, SFTP file transfer and port forwarding.
Bitvise SSH Client is a free, closed-source Windows-only client combining a terminal, graphical SFTP and port forwarding, replacing the command-line OpenSSH client with a graphical tool.
SecureCRT
A commercial SSH and Telnet client with session management and scripting for Windows, macOS and Linux.
SecureCRT is a paid, closed-source SSH and Telnet client for Windows, macOS and Linux that adds session management, keyword highlighting and scripting, but it provides no server.
KiTTY
A PuTTY fork for Windows that adds session filtering, automatic login scripts and portability.
KiTTY is a Windows-only PuTTY fork adding session filtering, automatic login scripts and portability, but it is based on PuTTY 0.76 and lacks newer security fixes.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
assh
Wrapper that adds regex hosts, templates, gateways and hooks to SSH configuration.
Wishlist
Choose SSH destinations from an interactive directory.
Eternal Terminal
A remote shell that reconnects automatically after network drops without interrupting the session.
Teleport
An identity-based access platform for infrastructure such as servers, Kubernetes, databases and desktops.
tmux
Keeps terminal sessions alive on a server after you disconnect, and splits one window into many.
MobaXterm
A Windows remote-computing toolbox: tabbed SSH, an X11 server, RDP, VNC, FTP and Unix commands in one portable executable.
