The Beginner’s Guide to Secure Shell

Fahad Hossain — Sun, 20 Apr 2025 16:11:32 +0000

It’s a secure protocol used to safely connect to remote systems over a network (typically used by developers to access servers, manage files, or interact with platforms like GitHub)

How SSH works (shortly)
Think of SSH like a secure tunnel between your computer and another system. Instead of sending your username/password every time, SSH uses key for authentication.

Generate an SSH key pair

Private Key: Stored secretly on computer
Public Key: Shared with platform server

Remote Platform need public key

It stores it securely in that remote account

When try to connect to remote via SSH

Remote asks: Do you have the matching private key?
My computer proves it without sending the private key
if it matches remote lets you in — no password needed

Generate SSH Key (Each command will worked perfectly for linux/macOS based terminal)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "email here"

Start the SSH agent

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Add private key to SSH Agent

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Print SSH key

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub (see public key)

Delete the compromised SSH key (If needed)

rm -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519*

Conclusion
SSH is an essential tool for anyone working with remote systems—whether you're a developer, system administrator, or DevOps engineer. By understanding how SSH works and adopting best practices like using key-based authentication and managing your configurations securely, you can greatly enhance the safety and efficiency of your workflow. Mastering SSH not only improves your command-line skills but also empowers you to manage servers and services with confidence. So start exploring, stay secure, and take full control of your remote environments.

10 Best Practices for Ensuring API Security

Fahad Hossain — Thu, 26 Dec 2024 05:01:05 +0000

APIs meaning of Application Programming Interface are the backbone of modern software development process. Enabling seamless communication between different system. However, they also pose significant security challenges. A poorly designed API can become an entry point for malicious attacks and disrupting services. Here I show a simple guide to ensuring security while delivering APIs.

1.Use HTTPS must in production

Always enforce HTTPS to encrypt data in transit between the client and the server. This ensures that sensitive information like authentication tokens and user data is protected from interception.

2.Implementing authentication and authorization

Authentication: Use robust authentication mechanisms such as OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, or API keys. Avoid relying on basic authentication.

Authorization: Ensure users have access only to the resources they are permitted to use by implementing role-based or attribute-based access control.

3.Validate or sanitize all inputs

Always validate and sanitize user inputs to prevent common vulnerabilities like SQL injection, command injection, and cross-site scripting (XSS). Use server-side validation as your first line of defense.

4.Use a secure API gateway

API gateways act as intermediaries, offering features like request validation, authentication, and throttling. Using a secure gateway ensures that APIs follow organizational security standards.

Minimize data exposure

Only expose the data required by the API consumers. Avoiding sending unnecessary information, especially sensitive data.

Implement strong logging and monitoring

Track API usage and monitor for unusual patterns. Log all access attempts and failures but ensure sensitive data like passwords and tokens are never logged.

Versioning API

Versioning ensures that changes to your API don't break existing integrations. This also helps you deprecate insecure versions in a controlled manner.

Regularly update and patch

Keep your API dependencies and libraries updated to mitigate vulnerabilities. Implement a robust patch management policy to address emerging threats promptly.

Secure error handling

Never expose internal error messages or stack traces in API response. Instead, return generic error messages to clients and log the detailed errors server-side.

Regular security audits

Regular security audits aim to ensure that best security practices are adhered to and that any newly discovered vulnerabilities or emerging threats are identified and addressed promptly.

Final thoughts

Secure API design is a continuous process. Regularly update your API, conduct security testing, and stay updated with the latest threats and techniques. By adhering to these best practices, you can build APIs that are not only functional but also resilient against modern security challenges.

What security practices do you follow for API design? Let’s share in the comments below!

DEV Community: Fahad Hossain

The Beginner’s Guide to Secure Shell

10 Best Practices for Ensuring API Security