Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol that provides a secure channel between an SSH client application and an SSH server over an unsecured network. The most common application is remote command-line login and remote command execution.
This post is based on research performed in 2014.
SSH Clients
An SSH client is typically an interactive terminal interface for logging into and interacting with remote systems over a channel encrypted using SSH.
- PuTTY – the ad-hoc standard SSH client on Windows.
- KiTTY – a fork of PuTTY that adds running scripts and SCP file transfer by dropping files onto the KiTTY window. LifeHacker published a short review of KiTTY in 2010, but it appears there has not been significant development since.
Connection Managers
A connection manager is used to provide a consistent environment for organizing ssh credentials and remote connections, and provides a multi-session interface using multiple windows or a tabbed interface.
- SuperPutty is lightweight and portable (old website before moving to GitHub).
- mRemoteNG (mRemoteNG is not compatible with Lenovo’s autoscrolling utility, if autoscrolling is not disabled moving the cursor over the mRemoteNG window results in the internal PuTTy window moving).
- PuTTY Manager
- PuTTY Connection Manager appears popular from internet posts but its’ website doesn’t appear to exist any longer.
- putty-nd also appears popular, but also appears to have issues.
Several useful reviews include:
- theGeekStuff.com (written 2008)
- ericvb (KiTTY/mRemoteNG, written in 2011)