---
title: "SSH Monitor"
description: "The SSH Monitor checks whether your SSH service is reachable. It is commonly used to detect firewall issues, network outages, or server crashes affecting administrative access."
---

## How it works

- We attempt to connect to your SSH service.
- If the server cannot be reached, rejects connections unexpectedly, or times out, the check fails.

## Configuration

### Basic settings

- **Hostname**: Hostname or IP address.
- **Port**: Optional (default is typically 22).
- **Check interval** and **Timeout**.
- **Status**: `active`, `maintenance`, `disabled`.

### Monitoring locations

SSH checks run from our monitoring locations. Use **Allowed Check Countries** to limit where checks run from.

### Port-only mode (no credentials)

By default (**Check Mode**: `protocol`), the monitor logs in over SSH with the credentials you provide and verifies a successful handshake/login. Set **Check Mode** to `tcp` to skip authentication entirely. The monitor only opens a bare TCP connection to `hostname:port`, without attempting an SSH handshake or login, and no credentials are required or stored. Use `tcp` mode when you only need to confirm the port is reachable (e.g. a firewall or network check) without giving Uptimeify SSH credentials.