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Telnet vs SSH

In this tutorial, we will understand the difference between the TELNET and SSH in Computer Networks.

TELNET is basically the short form for TErminal NETwork.It is basically a TCP/IP protocol that is used for virtual terminal services and was mainly proposed by International Organization for Standards(ISO).

  • It is a general-purpose client/server application program.

  • This program enables the establishment of the connection to the remote system in such a way that the local system starts to appear as a terminal at the remote system.

  • It is a standard TCP/IP protocol that is used for virtual terminal service.

  • In simple words, we can say that the telnet allows the user to log on to a remote computer. After logging on the user can use the services of the remote computer and then can transfer the results back to the local computer.

  • The TELNET was mainly designed at the time when most operating systems operate in the time-sharing environment. And in this type of environment, a large computer can support multiple users. Usually, the interaction between the computer and user occurs via terminal(It is a combination of keyboard, mouse, and monitor).

  • TELNET makes the use of only one TCP/IP connection.

SSH is an abbreviation of Secure Shell. It is one of the major protocol that is used in order to access the network devices and servers over the Internet.

  • It is basically a network protocol and it mainly runs on top of TCP/IP protocol.

  • It is widely used to manage and access devices remotely.

  • Also, the secure shell(SSH) mainly enables the two remotely connected users in order to perform network communication and other services on the top of an unsecured network.

  • Thus it provides secure client/server communication and it can also be used for other tasks like file transfer and e-mail.

  • With the help of SSH, you can log in to another computer over the network and it allows you to execute the commands on the remote machine.

  • You can easily move files from one machine to another.

  • This protocol mainly encrypts the traffic in both directions; with the help of this feature, you can prevent trafficking, sniffing, and password theft.

  • By default, SSH runs on Port number 22 and you can also change it.

  • It is suitable for Public Networks.

Difference between TELNET and SSH

Let us now take a look at the differences between TELNET and SSH:

TELNET SSH
It is basically a standard TCP/IP protocol and is mainly used for virtual terminal service. TELNET enables you to establish the connection to a remote system in such a manner that it appears as the local system. SSH(Secure shell) is basically a program that helps you to log into another computer over the network in order to execute the commands in a remote machine.
TELNET is suitable for private networks SSH is mainly suitable for public networks.
It transfers the data in the form of plain text. It transfers the data in an encrypted format by making use of the secure channel.
It makes use of port number 23. It was mainly designed for local area networks. By default, SSH works on port number 22and it can be changed at any time.
Bandwidth usage is low using TELNET. Bandwidth usage is high using SSH.
There are no privileges provided for the authentication of the user. SSH is a more secure protocol than TELNET and it makes use of public-key encryption for authentication purposes.
It is mainly used in LINUX and Windows operating systems. It is used by all operating systems.
The data that is sent using the TELNET cannot be interpreted easily by hackers. There can be malicious attacks on the username and passwords.
This protocol is vulnerable to several security attacks. SSH protocol helps you to overcome many security issues

TELNET Commands

Given below are some important TELNET commands:

  • Open
    The open command in TELNET is mainly used to open the hostname port number in order to establish a Telnet connection to the host

  • Close
    This command mainly helps you to close an existing Telnet connection

  • Quit
    This command is used to take an exit from Telnet

  • Status
    This command is mainly used to determine whether the Telnet client is connected or not.

  • Timing Mark
    This command is mainly used to define the timing marks.

  • Terminal Type/Speed
    This command is mainly used to set the terminal type and speed.

SSH Commands

Given below are some important commands used for SSH:

  • ls
    It is used to show the directory contents (mainly it list out the names of the files).

  • cd
    This command mainly helps you to change the directory

  • mkdir
    This command helps you to create a new folder/directory.

  • touch
    This command mainly allows you to remove a file.



About the author:
Aspiring Software developer working as a content writer. I like computer related subjects like Computer Networks, Operating system, CAO, Database, and I am also learning Python.