SSH (password-based auth) API Essential Guide

Aug 7, 2024 • 6 minute read

What type of API does SSH (password-based auth) provide?

SSH (Secure Shell) with password-based authentication does not use a typical API architecture like REST, GraphQL, or SOAP. Here are the key points to understand:

SSH Protocol

SSH is a network protocol used for secure remote login and other secure network services over an insecure network.
It uses a client-server model, where an SSH client connects to an SSH server.
SSH provides a secure channel over an unsecured network by using strong encryption.

Authentication Methods

SSH supports multiple authentication methods, including password-based authentication.
With password authentication, the user enters their username and password to authenticate.

Not a Web API

Unlike REST, GraphQL, or SOAP, SSH is not a web API architecture.
It does not use HTTP as the transport protocol or follow web API conventions.
Instead, SSH uses its own protocol that operates directly over TCP.

Command-Based Interface

SSH provides a command-line interface for interacting with the remote system.
Users can execute commands on the remote system after authentication.

Programmatic Access

While not an API in the traditional sense, SSH can be used programmatically through libraries in various programming languages.
These libraries allow applications to establish SSH connections and execute commands programmatically.

In summary, SSH with password-based authentication is a secure network protocol for remote access, not a web API architecture like REST, GraphQL, or SOAP. It provides a command-based interface for interacting with remote systems securely.

Does the SSH (password-based auth) API have webhooks?

Based on the search results provided, I do not have any specific information about webhooks or event subscriptions for the official SSH (password-based auth) API. The search results do not contain relevant details about SSH API webhooks or events.

Key Points

The search results do not contain information about webhooks or event subscriptions for the SSH API.
The results mostly contain general information about using SSH for remote server access and automation.

Considerations

SSH is primarily a protocol for secure remote access and command execution, rather than an API with typical webhook functionality.
Standard SSH implementations generally do not include built-in webhook or event subscription capabilities.
To achieve similar functionality, you may need to implement custom logging or monitoring solutions on the SSH server side.

Alternatives

If you're looking to monitor SSH access or trigger events based on SSH activity, some alternatives to consider are:

Implementing custom logging on the SSH server and parsing those logs.
Using a third-party SSH monitoring tool that offers webhook integrations.
Setting up system-level auditing for SSH connections.

Without more specific information about official SSH API webhooks, I cannot provide details on event types or subscription methods. If you have a particular use case in mind, you may need to explore custom solutions or third-party tools to achieve the desired functionality.

Rate Limits and other limitations

Here are the key points about API rate limits for SSH (password-based auth) based on the search results:

Rate Limits for Unauthenticated Requests

The primary rate limit for unauthenticated requests to the GitHub API is 60 requests per hour [1].
For Bitbucket, anonymous requests are also limited to 60 requests per hour across all API resources [2].

Rate Limits for Authenticated Requests

For GitHub, authenticated users have a rate limit of 5,000 requests per hour [1].
For GitHub Enterprise Cloud organizations, the rate limit is higher at 15,000 requests per hour [1].
For Bitbucket, authenticated Git operations (both HTTPS and SSH) have a limit of 60,000 requests per hour [2].

SSH-Specific Limits

The search results don't provide specific rate limits for SSH password-based authentication.
For OpenSSH, there are some relevant settings that can impact login attempt rates [3]:
- MaxAuthTries: Default is 6 attempts per connection
- MaxStartups: Default is 10:30:100, which starts rejecting connections after 10 unauthenticated connections
- LoginGraceTime: Default is 120 seconds before closing an unauthenticated connection

Key Points

Rate limits help prevent abuse and denial-of-service attacks [1].
Authenticated requests generally have much higher rate limits than unauthenticated requests [1].
Specific SSH password auth rate limits are not clearly defined in the provided sources.
OpenSSH has some configurable settings that can impact login attempt rates, but these are not strictly API rate limits [3].

In summary, while there are defined API rate limits for GitHub and Bitbucket, the search results don't provide specific information on rate limits for SSH password-based authentication. The OpenSSH settings provide some controls over login attempts, but these are not the same as API rate limits. For more precise information on SSH password auth rate limits, additional sources would be needed.

Latest API Version

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Here is a summary of the most recent version of the SSH API for password-based authentication:

Current Version

The most recent major version of OpenSSH is 7.5, released on March 20, 2017.

Key Points

OpenSSH 7.5 is primarily a bugfix release with some security fixes.
It includes full support for SSH protocol 2.0.
Password-based authentication is still supported, but there have been some mitigations added against potential denial-of-service attacks using very long passwords.

Important Changes

The UsePrivilegeSeparation option in sshd_config has been deprecated, making privilege separation mandatory.
The format of some log messages has changed to include more information about user authentication state.
Support for building against OpenSSL versions prior to 1.0.1 has been removed in the portable version.

Security Fixes

Fixed a weakness in CBC padding oracle countermeasures.
Fixed a path traversal vulnerability in the SFTP client on Cygwin.

Best Practices

Use SSH protocol 2.0, which is now the default.
Keep OpenSSH updated to the latest version for security fixes.
Use key-based authentication instead of passwords where possible for improved security.
Configure appropriate timeout and authentication attempt limits to mitigate brute-force attacks.

While OpenSSH 7.5 is the most recent major version mentioned, it's important to note that there may be newer versions available since the release date provided (March 2017). Always check the official OpenSSH website for the most up-to-date information.

How to get a SSH (password-based auth) developer account and API Keys?

To get a developer account for SSH (password-based auth) to create an API integration, you typically don't need a specific "developer account." Instead, you'll need to set up SSH access on the server you want to connect to and configure it to allow password-based authentication. Here are the key steps to achieve this:

Server Configuration

Ensure SSH is installed and running on your server.
Configure SSH to allow password-based authentication:
- Edit the SSH configuration file (usually /etc/ssh/sshd_config).
- Set the following options:
```
PasswordAuthentication yes
ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes
UsePAM yes
```
Restart the SSH service to apply changes:
```
sudo systemctl restart ssh
```

User Account Setup

Create a user account on the server for SSH access:
```
sudo adduser username
```
Set a strong password for the user.

API Integration

To create an API integration using SSH with password-based authentication, you'll need to use a library or tool that supports this method. Here's an example using Node.js and the ssh2-promise library:

const SSH2Promise = require('ssh2-promise');

const sshConfig = {
  host: 'your-server-hostname',
  port: 22,
  username: 'your-username',
  password: 'your-password'
};

async function executeSSHCommand() {
  const ssh = new SSH2Promise(sshConfig);

  try {
    await ssh.connect();
    console.log("Connection established");

    const result = await ssh.exec("whoami");
    console.log(result);

    await ssh.close();
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error:", error);
  }
}

executeSSHCommand();

What can you do with the SSH (password-based auth) API?

Based on the search results, here are the key points about data models that can be interacted with using the SSH (password-based auth) API:

User Authentication

Password-based authentication allows users to authenticate using a username and password
Credentials are shared through a secure tunnel established by symmetric encryption
The server checks the credentials against a database to authenticate the client

Command Execution

SSH allows executing commands on a remote server after authentication
This enables performing tasks like:
- Applying software patches and updates
- Creating automation scripts to access servers and perform operations

File Transfer

SSH can be used to perform automated file transfers between systems

Configuration Management

The SSH configuration file (/etc/ssh/sshd_config) controls authentication settings
Password authentication can be enabled/disabled in this configuration

Key Points to Consider

Password-based authentication is considered less secure than key-based authentication
Passwords are vulnerable to attacks like phishing, credential stuffing, brute force, etc.
Many cloud providers disable password authentication by default

Best Practices

Use public key authentication instead of passwords where possible
Implement strong password policies if using password auth
Consider additional security measures like two-factor authentication

In summary, while SSH password authentication allows interacting with user accounts, remote command execution, and file transfers, it has security limitations compared to key-based authentication methods. The specific data models accessible depend on the user's permissions on the remote system.