Introduction
SSH ports are a lifeline for the super-secure delivery of data. These ports act like safe tunnels hidden from attacks from the outside world and consist of unique keys and passcodes. This article is about secure tunnels, how to use them for safe data deliveries, and much more. We will discuss SSH port forwarding at the most basic level, with a specific approach regarding SSH tunneling in Linux. So buckle up to get hold of this amazing piece of writing.
What is SSH Port Forwarding?
You already know that SSH or secure shell, is a tunnel that can safely deliver your precious data. Now, we will talk about the words behind it, i.e., “port forwarding.” SSH port forwarding (sending data through the tunnel) is like driving a car through this secure tunnel, and the SSH port is the specific door or entrance that the car uses to reach its destination on the other side. If you want to access a different service on the remote computer through SSH, you might use a different port number as the entrance to that secure tunnel. Moving on, we will take a look at the importance of SSH port forward from a user’s perspective.
Reasons Behind Using SSH Port Forwarding
Assuming that you have an office setup at home to perform your daily work-from-home targets, you are going to need robust SSH port forwarding. This facility will allow millions of employees like you to get hold of your organization’s database to work. Now, at this point, you may ask how an SSH connection will act as an anchor between you and your company’s server. Here, you will ask the company’s computer system to meet you at a room you can access, which in this case is “port 9090.”. All you have to do is ask the system to bring you the data from the super-secret database room, i.e., port 8080 to port 9090.
With SSH port tunneling, the company’s computer system acts as a helpful messenger. It retrieves the data you need from the super-secret database room (port 8080) and securely brings it to the accessible room (port 9090) that you can reach from home. This way, even though you can’t directly enter the super-secret database room, you still get the data you need for work through the accessible room allowed by your secure connection.
Process to Set Up SSH Port Forwarding in Linux
The most important step is to set up the SSH client, which enables proper communication with other systems. Once you’ve installed OpenSSH on a Mac or PuTTY on Windows, opening the SSH client is like unlocking a door. It’s a program you open on your computer that acts as your secure passageway to connect and talk to other computers over the internet. Think of it as a tool you use to securely reach out and communicate with distant computers, letting you do things like access files or run commands on them, all while keeping everything safe from sneaky eyes. Now, we will move forward and use the “SSH” command to set up the SSH port forwarding, which is a secure connection.
Here, we will take a brief look at the local port forwarding method and the remote port forwarding method. Local port forwarding is like redirecting traffic from your computer to another. It lets you access resources on a remote server as if they were on your machine. Remote port forwarding is the reverse—it redirects traffic from a remote server to your computer. This allows you to access resources on your computer from a server elsewhere. Both create secure tunnels for specific data to travel, just in opposite directions.
For local port forwarding, you can use the below command.
ssh -L [local_port]:[remote_host]:[remote_port] [username]@[ssh_server]The following command will help you set up remote port forwarding.
ssh -R [remote_port]:[local_host]:[local_port] [username]@[ssh_server]Recommended: How to Enable SSH on Ubuntu?
Wrapping Up
SSH tunneling is a powerful tool that allows secure communication between devices over the internet. Whether you’re accessing resources remotely or allowing remote access to your resources, SSH port forwarding ensures data travels through encrypted tunnels, safeguarding it from potential threats.
Setting up SSH port forwarding, whether local or remote, creates secure tunnels for data to travel safely. For local port forwarding, where you access resources on a remote server as if they were on your machine, you’d use the -L flag with the ssh command. Conversely, for remote port forwarding, directing traffic from a remote server to your computer, you’d use the -R flag. Both methods establish secure pathways for specific data, just in different directions.
