Secure Shell, also known as SSH, is a cryptographic network protocol that is used to execute commands on a remote web server or to exchange information between a server and a client. Due to the fact that the information exchanged by the two sides is protected, a 3rd party simply cannot intercept it, which makes SSH a favorite means of controlling a web hosting account. The commands which could be executed are determined by the type of hosting service. On a shared server, for example, the possibilities are limited since you shall not have root access to the website hosting server, so you can just create/move/delete files, create and unpack archives, import and export databases, and so forth. They're all actions which are carried out within the shared hosting account and don't need a higher level of access. Through a virtual or a dedicated server, you shall have the option to set up server-side software or to restart the server or only a specific service (web server, database server, etc.). SSH commands are submitted via a command line, and if you do not use a UNIX-like Operating System, there are plenty of apps for other OSs, that you can employ to connect to the remote server as well.