You can use SSH to log into a remote machine and work on the command line. Also, you can use it to tunnel into the system to facilitate secure encrypted communication between two hosts over an insecure network.
In a DevOps context, SSH (Secure Shell) is commonly used for secure communication and remote access to servers. Here are some instances in which SSH is used:
- Server Access and Management:
- DevOps professionals use SSH to securely connect to remote servers for system administration, configuration, and troubleshooting.
- It provides a command-line interface to execute commands on a remote server.
- Version Control Systems:
- SSH is often used for secure communication between a version control system (e.g., Git) and the remote repositories.
- Developers and DevOps teams use SSH keys to authenticate and authorize access to repositories.
- Automated Deployment:
- In continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, SSH is used to deploy applications or updates to remote servers.
- Automation tools like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet may leverage SSH for configuration management and application deployment.
- Secure File Transfer:
- SCP (Secure Copy) and SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) use SSH for secure and encrypted file transfer between local and remote systems.
- Tunneling and Port Forwarding:
- SSH can be used to create secure tunnels and port forwarding for accessing services on remote servers securely.
- Container Orchestration:
- When managing containerized applications with tools like Docker or Kubernetes, SSH may be used to access and manage containers on remote hosts.
- Infrastructure Provisioning:
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform may use SSH to connect to and provision resources on cloud servers or virtual machines.
- Monitoring and Logging:
- SSH may be used for accessing log files, monitoring configurations, and troubleshooting issues on remote servers.
It’s important to note that the use of SSH in DevOps depends on the specific tools and technologies being employed in a given environment. The secure and encrypted nature of SSH makes it a crucial component for managing and maintaining infrastructure in a DevOps workflow.