SSH tips on Windows | codingpipe.com

Windows 11 includes an OpenSSH client b default. You can use it directly from the PowerShell or command prompt terminal.

Connecting to a Linux server

Open a terminal and run the following command:

ssh [email protected]

Replace username with your Linux server username and 12.34.56.78 with the server’s IP address. The first time you connect, you’ll be prompted to accept the host key. After that, enter your password to log in. To log out, run the exit command or press Ctrl+D.

If your Linux server has a different SSH port, let’s say 10322, use the -p flag:

ssh [email protected] -p 10322

Downloading/uploading files between your Windows client and a Linux server

Use WinSCP for that.

Tools

Additional Resources

Managing SSH Keys with OpenSSH and Bitwarden

1. Set up your environment

Create the SSH directory if it doesn’t exist:

mkdir -p $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh

2. Generate SSH Key Pair

Open PowerShell and generate an Ed25519 key (recommended):

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

Or RSA if required:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"

When prompted:

Save to default location (%USERPROFILE%\.ssh\id_ed25519 or id_rsa)
Set a strong passphrase

This creates two files:

Private key: id_ed25519 (no extension)
Public key: id_ed25519.pub

3. Store in Bitwarden

Step 1. Open Bitwarden and create a new Secure Note

Step 2. Title: “SSH Key - [Purpose]” (e.g., “SSH Key - Work Laptop 2024”)

Step 3. Add attachments:

Browse to %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\
Attach both id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub

Step 4. Add to notes:

Server: example.com
Username: myuser
Key Type: Ed25519
Created: [Date]
Passphrase: [your-passphrase]

Public Key:
[paste contents of id_ed25519.pub here]

Usage:
1. Download private key
2. Save to ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
3. Set permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Step 5. Add tags: “ssh”, “credentials”, “work” Step 6. Save

4. Deploy to Server

Copy your public key to the server:

# Method 1: Using ssh-copy-id (if available)
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub username@example.com

# Method 2: Manual copy
type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | ssh username@example.com "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Verify the connection:

ssh -i $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519 username@example.com

5. Recovery Process

If you need to recover access from a new device:

Step 1. Install OpenSSH client if not present:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0

Step 2. Create SSH directory:

mkdir -p $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh

Step 3. Download private key from Bitwarden Step 4. Save as %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\id_ed25519 Step 5. Set correct permissions:

icacls "%USERPROFILE%\.ssh\id_ed25519" /inheritance:r /grant:r "%USERNAME%":"F"

Step 6. Test connection:

ssh -i $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519 username@example.com

Step 7. After recovery, generate new keys and update servers

Connecting to Servers with SSH Keys

Step 1. Basic connection with default key location:

ssh username@192.168.1.100

Step 2. Specify a different port (e.g., 10322):

ssh -p 10322 username@192.168.1.100

Step 3. Explicitly specify which key to use:

ssh -i $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519 username@192.168.1.100

Step 4. For multiple servers/keys, create a config file at %USERPROFILE%\.ssh\config:

Host myserver1
    HostName 192.168.1.100
    User username
    Port 22
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host myserver2
    HostName 192.168.1.200
    User otheruser
    Port 10322
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Then connect using the alias:

ssh myserver1

💡 Tip: After adding your key to a server, you won’t need to enter a password. You’ll only need the key’s passphrase (if you set one).