We often receive questions about our SSH Tunnel entry. What does it do exactly? When do you need it? What does it eat in winter? How do you actually set it up? Let’s take a deeper look at it!
SSH tunneling is used to create a secure connection between a local and a remote computer, by going through another device that relays a specific service. Some people call this device a Jump or server. It’s basically an encrypted tunnel created through an SSH protocol connection. The SSH Tunnel can be used to establish a form of a virtual private network (VPN), and since the connection is encrypted, it can be useful for transferring unencrypted traffic over a network through an encrypted channel.
For example, we can use an SSH Tunnel to securely transfer files between a FTP server and a client even though the FTP protocol itself is not encrypted. It could also be useful when connecting a client through an SSH server protected by a firewall. SSH tunnels also provide a means to bypass firewalls that prohibit or filter certain internet services.
There are three ways to create an SSH tunnel: