ssh Command Generator — Connect, Tunnel & Run Commands (Free)

Q: How do I ssh with a specific key and port?

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 -p 2222 user@host. -i picks the private key, -p sets the port.

Q: How do I create an SSH tunnel?

ssh -L 8080:localhost:5432 -N user@host forwards your local port 8080 to the server's localhost:5432. Then connect to localhost:8080 to reach it. -N holds the tunnel without a shell.

Q: How do I run a command over ssh without logging in?

Put the command in quotes: ssh user@host 'df -h' runs it on the server, prints the output, and exits.

Q: Why does ssh ignore my key file?

Usually permissions: the private key must be chmod 600. ssh refuses private keys that other users on the machine can read.

Build the exact ssh command — a plain connection, a port-forward tunnel, or a remote command — with every flag explained. Or paste an ssh command to decode it. Runs in your browser.

The shape of an ssh command

At its simplest, ssh user@host opens a shell. From there you bolt on options: a different port (-p), a specific key (-i), a tunnel (-L / -R), or a command to run instead of an interactive shell. Put a command in quotes at the end and ssh runs it remotely and returns the output — perfect for scripts.

Local vs remote tunnels, the part everyone re-googles

-L local:host:port (local forward) brings a remote service to you. -L 8080:localhost:80 means "open 8080 on my machine; anything I send there pops out as localhost:80 on the server." Use it to reach a database or admin panel that only listens on the server.
-R remote:host:port (remote forward) is the mirror: it exposes your local service on the server. Use it to let a remote box reach something running on your laptop.
Add -N for a pure tunnel. Without it you also get a shell; -N says "just hold the tunnel, don't run anything".

Gotchas worth knowing

Key permissions matter. ssh refuses a private key that's readable by others — it must be 600. (That's what the chmod 600 page is about.)
-p for ssh, -P for scp. A classic mix-up: the port flag is lowercase for ssh but uppercase for scp and sftp.
Repeated options live in ~/.ssh/config. Once a host's user, port and key are in your config, ssh myserver is all you need — no flags.
Jump through a bastion with -J. ssh -J jump@bastion user@internal hops through the bastion to reach a host you can't connect to directly.

Frequently asked questions

How do I ssh with a specific key and port?

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 -p 2222 user@host. -i picks the key, -p the port.

How do I create an SSH tunnel?

ssh -L 8080:localhost:5432 -N user@host forwards your local port 8080 to the server's localhost:5432. Visit localhost:8080 to reach it.

How do I run a command over ssh without logging in?

Put the command in quotes: ssh user@host 'df -h' runs it remotely and prints the output, then exits.

Why does ssh ignore my key file?

Usually permissions: the private key must be chmod 600. ssh refuses keys that other users can read.

More shell tools: rsync, curl, chmod, or all on the home page.

ssh Command Generator — Connect, Tunnel & Run Commands

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Or: decode an ssh command