Check SSH Status on Ubuntu | Generated by AI

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Question: How can I check whether the SSH service is running/open on my Ubuntu system?

Answer:

Here are the most reliable and commonly used ways to check if SSH (usually OpenSSH server) is running and listening on your Ubuntu machine (2024–2026 editions):

Quickest & Recommended Methods

1. Check service status (most recommended)

   sudo systemctl status ssh
   

   or

   systemctl status ssh
   

Look for these key lines:

• Active: active (running) → SSH is running
• Active: inactive (dead) → SSH is stopped
• Active: failed → SSH failed to start (look at the error below)

Alias note: on Ubuntu the service is usually called ssh (not sshd)

1. Even shorter – just check if it’s active

   systemctl is-active ssh
   

   Output:

   • active → running
   • inactive → stopped
   • failed → crashed
2. Check if SSH port is listening (very reliable) ```bash

   Most popular & clean way (recommended)

   ss -tuln | grep :22

Alternative commands (all work)

sudo netstat -tuln | grep :22 sudo lsof -i :22 sudo ss -tuln | grep ‘:22.*LISTEN’

If you see output similar to this → SSH **is listening**:

tcp LISTEN 0 128 0.0.0.0:22 0.0.0.0:*

or

tcp LISTEN 0 128 [::]:22 [::]:*

No output → SSH is **not listening** (either not installed or not running)

### One-line "am I reachable via SSH right now?" checks

```bash
# Method A - very clear
sudo systemctl is-active --quiet ssh && echo "SSH is RUNNING" || echo "SSH is STOPPED"

# Method B - port check style
ss -tuln | grep -q ':22 ' && echo "Port 22 is OPEN" || echo "Port 22 is CLOSED"

Summary – fastest commands to remember

Command	What it tells you	Recommendation
systemctl is-active ssh	Running or not	★★★ best daily check
ss -tuln \| grep :22	Actually listening on port 22	★★★ very trustworthy
sudo systemctl status ssh	Full status + recent logs	Best when something is wrong

Bonus – If you want to see from outside

Run this from another computer:

# Replace 192.168.1.100 with your Ubuntu machine's IP
nc -zv 192.168.1.100 22

Output:

• succeeded! → SSH port is open and reachable
• Connection refused / timeout → SSH is off, firewalled, or network issue

Pick whichever style you like most — most Ubuntu users just use:

systemctl is-active ssh && ss -tuln | grep -q :22 && echo "SSH looks good ✓" || echo "SSH has problem ✗"

References:

• None needed (standard Ubuntu commands, valid in 2024–2026)

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