{"id":30102,"date":"2021-09-25T15:00:54","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=30102"},"modified":"2021-09-23T09:29:28","modified_gmt":"2021-09-23T07:29:28","slug":"ssh-vs-ssl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/ssh-vs-ssl\/","title":{"rendered":"SSH vs SSL &#8211; A Beginner&#8217;s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]WordPress has done a great job at making it possible for the average person to create and run a decent-looking website that works. Sure, lots of it has to do with the availability of things like professional-grade <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/themes-list\/\">premium themes<\/a>, and the variety of plugins that will help with running the website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Still, however, there is tons of stuff that a fledgling website owner or an admin needs to learn. While things like <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/must-know-seo-terms-for-wordpress-users\/\">lists of SEO-related terms<\/a> are undoubtedly important down the line, things that have to deal with security usually take precedence. This is why learning the difference between SSH and SSL \u2013 even if it\u2019s just on a beginner\u2019s level \u2013 is better done sooner than later.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]So here you are, and here\u2019s what you\u2019ll learn:<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#what-is-ssl\">What Is SSL?<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#what-is-ssh\">What Is SSH?<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#ssh-vs-ssl\">SSH vs SSL \u2013 Is There a Real Comparison<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#where-does-this-leave-you\">Where Does This Leave You as a Web Administrator?<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;new-top-picks-banner&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"what-is-ssl\"><\/a>What Is SSL?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSL.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"What Is SSL\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSL.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSL-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSL-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSL-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]We\u2019ll kick off the guide with the slightly more familiar term \u2013 SSL. If you\u2019ve ever been online and noticed a web address that starts with \u201cHTTPS\u201d instead of \u201cHTTP,\u201d you\u2019ve seen SSL in work. <strong>That \u201cS\u201d at the end of \u201cHTTPS\u201d means that the website has employed an extra security layer to keep the communication between you \u2013 your browser, as that\u2019s how you\u2019re most likely accessing the website \u2013 and itself.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>SSL is short for Secure Sockets Layer<\/strong>, and it\u2019s the technology that\u2019s used to give the web address that all-important \u201cs\u201d which indicates that the communication with that website will be encrypted and safe from the prying eyes of various nefarious parties.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Even though you\u2019ll often hear about the importance of SSL and <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/best-ssl-plugin-for-wordpress\/\">getting SSL certificates<\/a>, if you dig a bit deeper into it, you\u2019ll find that you\u2019re using something called TLS, or Transport Layer Security, instead of SSL. <strong>TLS is the newer version of the protocol, and even though it\u2019s been in use for a while, people are just so used to SSL that it stuck.<\/strong> At best, you\u2019ll find mentions of SSL\/TLS.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The key takeaway here is that SSL is something you\u2019d use to enable safe communication \u2013 protect transferred data \u2013 on a network.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"what-is-ssh\"><\/a>What Is SSH?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSH.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"What Is SSH\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSH.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSH-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSH-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-is-SSH-620x355.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>SSH stands for Secure Shell, a type of protocol that\u2019s used to remotely connect to and control a server.<\/strong> It has nothing to do with the web address \u2013 SSH doesn\u2019t come into play during casual web browsing. <strong>This is the type of security protocol that affects only the people who connect to servers remotely with the purpose to execute commands and transfer files<\/strong>, and that\u2019s something website administrators tend to do.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>Here\u2019s an example that might illustrate this the best.<\/strong> When you\u2019re accessing your website <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-use-ftp\/\">using an FTP client<\/a> \u2013 something you\u2019d only do if you\u2019re administering the website, not just browsing it \u2013 your FTP client might give you the option to use either FTP or SFTP. Both of them are protocols \u2013 FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. <strong>The \u201cS\u201d in \u201cSFTP\u201d stands for \u201csecure,\u201d and it gets that security by employing a Secure Socket Shell, or Secure Shell, or SSH.<\/strong> So this is where you can encounter SSH in the wild.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The key takeaway here is that SSH is something you\u2019d use to provide a safe communication environment between you and the server in situations where you have to issue commands or transfer data.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"ssh-vs-ssl\"><\/a>SSH vs SSL \u2013 Is There a Real Comparison<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SSH-vs-SSL.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"SSH vs SSL \u2013 Is There a Real Comparison\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SSH-vs-SSL.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SSH-vs-SSL-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SSH-vs-SSL-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SSH-vs-SSL-620x355.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]First of all, let\u2019s acknowledge that SSH and SSL have some things between the two that make them easy to confuse or conflate. It\u2019s not just because they share two of the three letters of their acronyms. They are both security features that have something to do with communicating with a website. <strong>Those might suffice to warrant a question along the lines of \u201cwhich is better \u2013 SSH or SSL?\u201d, and that might be a problem because you can\u2019t compare SSH and SSL like that.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Sure, both are important security features, but <strong>their use cases are completely different. You\u2019ll use SSH to secure a connection with a server<\/strong> so that you can do the behind-the-scenes things that are necessary for the running of a website. <strong>You\u2019ll use SSL, however, when you decide to access your website\u2019s front end<\/strong> and see it the way regular users see it \u2013 with a layer of security.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>There are also lots of different implications of using both. SSH is all about security<\/strong> \u2013 it keeps the target as narrow as possible and greatly improves the security and integrity of the files on your server. <strong>SSL, while keeping things like passwords and credit card numbers safe from snooping, also improves your website\u2019s trust, contributes to SEO<\/strong>, and it might also help with legal compliance.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"where-does-this-leave-you\"><\/a>Where Does This Leave You as a Web Administrator?<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Where-Does-This-Leave-You-as-a-Web-Administrator.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"Where Does This Leave You as a Web Administrator\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Where-Does-This-Leave-You-as-a-Web-Administrator.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Where-Does-This-Leave-You-as-a-Web-Administrator-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Where-Does-This-Leave-You-as-a-Web-Administrator-768x440.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Where-Does-This-Leave-You-as-a-Web-Administrator-620x355.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]If you\u2019re a web administrator, a person in charge of running and maintaining a website, you shouldn\u2019t ask whether SSH is better than SSL. You should be asking how you can get both of them.<strong> Having an SSL certificate is rapidly becoming a standard that\u2019s much easier and more beneficial to comply with than to sit on the fence<\/strong> \u2013 even if you don\u2019t require users to leave any information on your website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>The good news is that getting an SSL certificate doesn\u2019t have to cost you a single cent.<\/strong> You can <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-add-free-ssl-certificate-wordpress\/\">add a free SSL certificate<\/a> to your WordPress website easily, or at least as easily as your hosting provider is willing to make it. So before you decide to do anything on your own, you should check with your hosting provider whether they\u2019re already offering a free SSL certificate and what\u2019s the procedure for installing it.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]It\u2019s a slightly different story with SSH. <strong>SSH lets you make changes on a server, and that won\u2019t sit well with every hosting provider.<\/strong> They might be in the right, too \u2013 letting an unqualified admin play around with the types of commands you\u2019d get with SSH can easily lead to broken websites, support requests, and resources spent to fix a mistake that could have easily been prevented.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]<strong>If you have a shared hosting plan, chances are your provider won\u2019t have SSH, or they\u2019ll have a limited version without the juiciest features.<\/strong> You can try to enable one on your own, but you should always make sure that you know what you\u2019re doing, and that you won\u2019t be breaking your host\u2019s terms of service.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\">Let\u2019s Wrap It Up!<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]When you\u2019re in charge of a WordPress website, it\u2019s your job to make sure that it has all the relevant safety and security features that will protect the website and you as its owner, as well as the people who visit and use it. SSH and SSL are two different technologies you can use, at the same time, to beef up the security of your website. So remember \u2013 with SSH and SSL, the question is not \u201ceither-or,\u201d it\u2019s \u201chow to get both?\u201d.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having troubles with the SSH vs SSL dilemma? We&#8217;ll explain why that&#8217;s a false dilemma and you are free to use both with your WordPress website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9295,"featured_media":30175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[59,34,4],"class_list":["post-30102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-hosting","tag-security","tag-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30175"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}