Knowledgebase

Setting up SSH tunnel is an effective solution, for example, if you want to log into the remote database in a secure way. Thanks to the SSH tunnel, you can set up a remote service on your computer's local port.

The following tutorials assume, that the server has already configured key authentication via SSH.

How to set up an SSH tunnel in Windows

1. Download the putty.exe application and run it. In the window that will appear on the left, drop down Connection > SSH and select "Tunnels".
2. In the "Add new forwarded ports" section, fill the fields:
   
   • Source port - number of the local port you want to use (in the example it will be 3336),
   • Destination - enter 127.0.0.1:SERVICEPORT (in the example it will be 3306).
3. Click the "Add" button.
4. Then, on the left side, again drop down Connection > SSH and select "Auth".
   
   In the "Private key file for authentication" section, set path to private key.
5. Then, on the left side of the page, we again expand Connection and select "Date".
   
   In the Login Details section we will complete the "Auto-login username" field with the SSH user name to which we will connect.
6. Then select "Sessions" on the left side.
   
   Fill in the fields accordingly:
   • Host name - let's give the IP address of the remote server or the domain that is directed to it,
   • Port - enter the port number under which SSH operates - by default it is 22, but if server is managed by us it will be 7324,
   • Saved Sessions - provide a session name.
7. Click "Save" to save the session for the future.
8. Click "Open" to open the session and set up the SSH tunnel.

In the window that will appear with the console, we recommend running the >top command, so that it does not break the set session. To exit the top, press the q key.

How to set up the SSH tunnel in MacOS/Linux

Below tutorial is made for mysql/mariadb connection, but service can be changed based on needs.

1. Open the terminal and then enter the command:
   ssh -N -L LocalPort:127.0.0.1:ServicePort -p SSHPort MyLogin@RemoteHost
   where:
   • LocalPort - number of the local port you want to use (in the example it will be 3336),
   • ServicePort - port service number on which service is listening,
   • SSHPort - port on which ssh listen on remote host,
   • MyLogin - my ssh username,
   • RemoteHost - IP or domain name, of remote host with service.
2. Now we need to test SSH tunnel, so open another terminal and enter:
   mysql -h 127.0.0.1 --port=3336 -u DatabaseUser -p DatabaseName
   where:
   • DatabaseUser - user which will be used to connect to database,
   • DatabaseName - name of database to which we will be connecting.