Linux SSH Tunneling - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Linux SSH Tunneling Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to SSH tunneling on Linux, covering Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions including port forwarding, SOCKS proxy, and secure connections.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding SSH Tunneling
  2. Local Port Forwarding
  3. Remote Port Forwarding
  4. Dynamic Port Forwarding
  5. Troubleshooting

Understanding SSH Tunneling

What is SSH Tunneling?

SSH tunneling creates secure connections through SSH.

Types:

  • Local: Forward local port to remote
  • Remote: Forward remote port to local
  • Dynamic: SOCKS proxy

Uses:

  • Bypass firewalls: Access blocked services
  • Secure connections: Encrypt traffic
  • Remote access: Access local services remotely

Local Port Forwarding

Basic Forwarding

Forward local port:

# Forward local port 8080 to remote 80
ssh -L 8080:localhost:80 user@remote-server

# Access via localhost:8080

Forward to Different Host

Forward to another host:

# Forward to different host
ssh -L 8080:target-server:80 user@remote-server

Remote Port Forwarding

Remote Forwarding

Forward remote port:

# Forward remote port 8080 to local 80
ssh -R 8080:localhost:80 user@remote-server

# Remote can access via localhost:8080

Dynamic Port Forwarding

SOCKS Proxy

Create SOCKS proxy:

# Create SOCKS proxy on port 1080
ssh -D 1080 user@remote-server

# Configure browser to use SOCKS proxy
# localhost:1080

Troubleshooting

Tunnel Not Working

Check connection:

# Test SSH connection
ssh user@remote-server

# Check port forwarding
netstat -tuln | grep 8080

Permission Denied

Check SSH config:

# Check SSH config
cat ~/.ssh/config

# Enable forwarding
AllowTcpForwarding yes

Summary

This guide covered SSH tunneling, port forwarding, and SOCKS proxy for Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other distributions.

Next Steps

This guide covers Arch Linux, CachyOS, and other Linux distributions. For distribution-specific details, refer to your distribution's documentation.