Running an SSH server on Windows with Bitvise

Most SSH documentation assumes the machine accepting connections is a Unix box. It often is not. When the host is Windows Server in a US data center — or a workstation that has to receive nightly files — the Bitvise SSH Server gives you a Windows service with a real configuration UI.

What it provides

• SSH shell access, SFTP and SCP from one listener on port 22.
• Windows account mapping, plus virtual accounts for external partners.
• Per-account limits: shell allowed or not, folder root, forwarding rules.
• Automatic blocking of hosts that hammer the login prompt.
• Detailed session logging for audits and incident review.

A sensible first configuration

1. Install the server and open the control panel; it starts as a Windows service set to launch at boot.
2. Under Server settings, confirm the listening port and bind it to the right network interface rather than all of them.
3. Create a virtual account for each external user, assign a filesystem root, and turn the terminal shell off if they only need files.
4. Require public-key authentication and upload each user's public key.
5. Add an inbound Windows Defender Firewall rule limited to the source networks that need access.

Connecting to it

Any standards-compliant client works: PuTTY, the built-in Windows OpenSSH client, or the Bitvise SSH Client. Test with a key-based login from a second machine before you announce the service. The SSH connection walkthrough shows what the client side should look like.

Hardening checklist

• Disable password authentication once keys are in place.
• Give each partner a separate account; never share one login.
• Review the log for failed attempts weekly.
• Patch on the vendor's release cadence, not annually.
• Keep host keys backed up so a rebuilt server does not alarm every client at once.

Server questions