Just got an update form HostGator (where this blog is hosted at) that they are allowing an SSH connection on a per IP basis. An SSH connection allows you to connect to the server where you are hosted at and run some operating system level commands. If you know Linux, having an SSH connection is a big plus. Moving files, changing permissions, and performing other commands make things much quicker, if you know what you are doing.
The news said that in the future, HostGator will remove the IP restrictions (although I’d prefer them to have an interface where you specify which IP addresses are allowed to connect for security reasons). So if you are on HostGator and want to enable the SSH Connection, check what your computer’s IP address is (where you want to connect from) and email your domain name + IP address to support@hostgator.com or you can contact them via phone or live chat. Use “Enable SSH for [your domain name].com” as the email subject to make things go quicker for HostGator.
Normally, a web host doesn’t give you an SSH connection feature on a shared account (or they’ll usually charge you a fee)!
