Raspberry Pi: activating and using SSH access

SSH was deactivated by default to make external access harder. In order to avoid this risk when activating SSH manually, you should change thepassword for the 'Pi' user as soon as possible – and definitely before connecting to the internet.

There are four ways to enable SSH:

Solution 1: create ssh file in the boot directory on the SD card

If you don’t have the ability to operate Raspberry directly via keyboard and screen, you can use a simple trick instead: Use an external computer to access the microSD card on which you have installed Raspbian and then create a file called ssh in the boot directory. It’s important that you do not use a file extension in this case and make sure that it is not automatically added (this often happens with Windows). If you then reboot the mini computer, SSH access will be enabled.

Solution 2: enable SSH server via desktop

If you connect the mini computer to your keyboard, mouse, and monitor, you can also easily turn on SSH on your Raspberry Pi using the desktop interface. To do this, open the start menu and navigate to 'Raspberry Pi Configuration' via the menu entitled 'Preferences'. Under the item 'Interfaces', you will find, among other things, the corresponding entry for SSH including the default setting ('disabled = deactivated'), which you can reverse at this point. Then confirm the change by clicking on 'OK'.

Solution 3: enable SSH via terminal in raspi-config

If you have connected the keyboard and screen to your Raspberry, you can also enable SSH access via the terminal. To do this, start the command line and type the following command:

In the menu of the opening configuration tool, first select item 7 ('Advanced options') and then select A4 ('SSH'). The tool asks you if you want to enable the SSH server, which you do, before closing the settings by clicking on 'Finish'.

Solution 4: start the SSH service with systemctl

As an alternative to raspi-config, you can use the systemctl command line tool to set up SSH on your Raspberry Pi. Simply enter the following two commands into the terminal:

if you operate Raspberry directly via keyboard and monitor.

2. Look for the address in the device list on your router or use a tool such as Nmap on an external computer if you’re running Raspberry in ‘Headless’ mode.

Then try to establish the SSH connection via the Unix device’s terminal, with the corresponding command structured as follows:

With the 'username' parameter, you can insert either the default profile 'pi' or the name of your own profile (if you’ve created one). The first time you establish the SSH connection between Pi and the external device, you will receive a security/authentication message. Once you’ve read this, enter 'yes' in the terminal to continue. Finally, enter the password for the selected user to connect to the Raspberry’s command line.

How to set up SSH access on Windows with PuTTY

Unlike most Unix systems, Windows doesn’t have an SSH client by default. The first step is to download a corresponding application. We have chosen PuTTY, but there are many client programs that are very similar in terms of operation and functionality.

On the PuTTY project website, you can download either the installation package or the exe file of the program (putty.exe) directly. The latter eliminates the installation process so that PuTTY can be started immediately. Once you have started the client by double-clicking on it, all you have to do is enter the host name in the appropriate field and press the 'open' button.

PuTTY will now display a message asking you to confirm the trustworthiness of the Raspberry Pi SSH server and the SSH key, which you do by clicking on 'yes'. Just like with Unix, this security information only appears when you connect for the first time. A new window will open in which you can enter the login credentials for the remote login to the Raspberry terminal.