How To Install Openssh In Windows

OpenSSH is a secure remote access tool that encrypts traffic between the connecting client and a remote server. Equally a effect, it eliminates connection hijacking, sniffing, eavesdropping, among other common network attacks. In this guide, you'll install OpenSSH on a Windows Server.

Prerequisites

Deploy a Windows Server 2019 or 2022 Server at Vultr.
Connect to the server with RDP

Install OpenSSH

Through Windows Settings

Open the Windows Start Menu.

Windows Settings

Locate and open Windows Settings. In the new Window, navigate to Apps, and Select Optional Features nether Apps & Features.

Click Add Feature, then enter the keyword OpenSSH in the search box. Next, select OpenSSH Server from the list of results, and then click Install.

Add Windows Optional Features

Once installed, both OpenSSH Client and Server will exist bachelor on the listing of Installed Features.

Using Windows PowerShell

Open PowerShell as an Administrator.

Windows PowerShell

Paste the following commands to Install OpenSSH Server:

          Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Server

Install OpenSSH Customer:

          Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Customer

Output:

          Path          : Online        : True RestartNeeded : False

To configure OpenSSH, use the post-obit control to open up the principal configuration file in Notepad and make your preferred changes.

                      start-process notepad C:\Programdata\ssh\sshd_config

Configure Firewall

Open the Windows start menu, locate and click Server Manager. In the Server Manager window, navigate to Tools, and select Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security from the driblet-down listing.

Windows Defender with Firewall

Now, click Entering Rules in the open up Firewall window. And then, select New Rule from the right pane.

In the New Inbound Rule Wizard, select Port from the list of options, so click Next. Select 'TCP', then enter port 22 in the Specific local ports: department.

Firewall setup

Next, allow the connection, assign the rule to server profiles, and prepare a custom name for piece of cake identification from the list of Firewall rules.

Click Finish to save the new firewall rule.

Login to Windows Server using SSH

Showtime, showtime the OpenSSH server past entering the post-obit command in your PowerShell final.

          Start-Service sshd

Log out of the RDP session.

Then, initiate an SSH connectedness from your local computer to the server using the following command:

          $ ssh -l Administrator SERVER-IP

Replace Ambassador with your target username and SERVER-IP with your actual Vultr Windows server address.

          ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:Vv2A8NOfzCLR/e35Fm5UyqGeJptrn6ZlY6Vabx0wHXQ. Are you sure you want to go on connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Verify the server key by accepting with yep. And so, enter the user account password to connect to the remote Windows server over SSH.

One time logged in, your SSH last should exist like to the 1 below:

          Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.20348.405] (c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.  Ambassador@Example C:\Users\Administrator>

Conclusion

Congratulations, you lot have successfully installed OpenSSH on a Windows Server. To fine-tune your SSH configuration file, consider visiting the Windows SSH configuration documentation here.