SSH via PowerShell

Scenario: 

Many organizations, particularly those with secure environments, prefer not to use third-party tools such as PuTTY or MobaXterm for Secure Shell (SSH) access to their servers. Instead, they can use PowerShell, a built-in Windows tool, to initiate secure SSH connections. PowerShell’s native SSH client provides a seamless and secure method for connecting to remote servers. 

This guide covers the steps to set up and use PowerShell for SSH access 

Solution/Steps Taken: 

Prerequisites 

• Windows 10/11 or Windows Server 2019/2022 (or later) 

• PowerShell 7 or later (optional, but recommended for enhanced features) 

• OpenSSH Client feature installed (by default on Windows 10/11) 

1. Install OpenSSH Client (if not already installed) 

OpenSSH Client is usually pre-installed on newer versions of Windows. To verify if it’s installed, follow these steps: 

1. Open Settings > Apps > Optional Features. 

2. Scroll down to check if OpenSSH Client is listed under Installed Features. 

If it’s not installed: 

1. Click Add a feature. 

2. Search for OpenSSH Client, select it, and click Install. 

2. Open PowerShell 

1. Press Win + X and select Windows PowerShell (or Windows Terminal, if you prefer using that). 

2. Type ssh and press Enter to ensure the OpenSSH client is available. If it’s installed correctly, you will see SSH command-line options. 

3. Connecting to a Remote Server via SSH 

To initiate an SSH session, use the following command format in PowerShell: 

ssh username@hostname 

• username: The account name you wish to log in with on the remote server. 

• hostname: The IP address or domain name of the remote server.