SSH, or Secure Shell, is a network protocol employed to connect to a server and conduct various tasks through a command line. The protocol is popular with many expert users, as the info transmitted over it is encrypted, so it cannot be intercepted on the way by a third party. SSH access may be used for a number of things with regards to the type of hosting account. With a shared hosting account, for example, SSH is among the ways to import/export a database or to upload a file in case the web server allows for it. In case you have a virtual or a dedicated server, SSH may be used for pretty much anything - you may install software or restart certain services including the web server or the database server that run on the machine. SSH is employed typically with UNIX-like Operating Systems, but there are clients which permit you to use the protocol if your personal computer is running a different Operating System too. The connection is created on TCP port 22 by default and the remote server always listens for incoming connections on that port although many service providers change it for security reasons.