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Use the service name and service manager for your operating system: Ubuntu and Debian commonly use ssh, Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses sshd, FreeBSD uses service, and OpenBSD uses rcctl. If you have changed the SSH server configuration, check it with sudo sshd -t before restarting.
Restart SSH with the command for your operating system
These commands restart the OpenSSH server daemon, not the SSH client. Use an account authorized to administer services; on BSD systems, use the host’s configured privilege method, such as doas or a root shell.
| System | Restart command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu | sudo systemctl restart ssh.service |
Ubuntu’s server guide documents this unit name after configuration changes. The shorter ssh form is also used. |
| Debian | sudo systemctl restart ssh |
Debian also documents sudo service ssh restart for the compatibility service interface. |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | sudo systemctl restart sshd.service |
RHEL documentation uses sshd.service; confirm the unit name on the installed release. |
| FreeBSD | sudo service sshd restart |
Standard service actions depend on sshd_enable being set in /etc/rc.conf. |
| OpenBSD | doas rcctl restart sshd |
Use the privilege level configured on the host; a root shell can run rcctl restart sshd. |
Safely restart SSH after changing its configuration
A syntax error or unintended access rule can make a remote server unreachable. Ubuntu’s server documentation warns: “if your only method of access to a server is SSH, and you make a mistake when configuring sshd you may find you are locked out of the server upon restarting it.”
- Keep your current remote session open. If available, make sure you have console or out-of-band access before changing the server’s configuration.
- Validate the configuration. Run
sudo sshd -t. Fix any reported errors before proceeding; a successful check produces no output. - Restart the appropriate service. Choose the command for your operating system from the table above.
- Check status and logs. Use the platform’s service manager to confirm that the daemon started and investigate any errors.
- Test a new SSH connection. Confirm that the intended login and access behavior works before closing the original session.
Restart, reload, start, and enable are different
- Restart asks the service manager to stop and start the managed service.
- Reload asks a running service to reread its configuration when supported. Debian’s daemon guidance describes reload as sending SIGHUP, and the OpenSSH
sshdmanual explains that the daemon rereads its configuration on SIGHUP. Whether reload is suitable depends on the change and service manager. - Start starts a service that is stopped.
- Enable configures a service to start at boot; it does not by itself restart the service now.
Use your system’s documentation to choose between restart and reload, then check the service and test a fresh connection.
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Fix common restart problems
“Unit sshd.service not found” or “Unit ssh.service not found”
The installed unit may have a different distribution-specific name, the OpenSSH server may not be installed, or the system may use another init system. Check the local service listings and the distribution’s OpenSSH package documentation instead of repeatedly guessing unit names.
The service fails after a configuration edit
Run sshd -t to find configuration errors, then inspect service status and logs. Correct the invalid directive before trying another restart. Keep an existing remote session or another recovery route available while troubleshooting.
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A port change does not take effect
Some systems use socket activation or customized service units. Determine which unit owns the listening socket and follow the guidance for your distribution and release before changing service or socket configuration; there is no single socket-activation command established for all systems.
FreeBSD’s restart appears to do nothing
Check whether sshd_enable is set in /etc/rc.conf. FreeBSD’s standard rc-script service actions depend on the relevant configuration variable.
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Check whether the service is running
Use the status command and service name appropriate to the host: for example, systemctl status ssh or systemctl status sshd, service sshd status, or rcctl check sshd on OpenBSD.
Why the service may be called ssh or sshd
sshd is the OpenSSH server daemon, while ssh is commonly the client command. Debian and Ubuntu commonly name the server unit ssh; Red Hat Enterprise Linux documentation uses sshd. The service name depends on the operating system and its installed units, not just the daemon’s executable name.
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This guide covers Linux distributions represented in the cited official guidance and the FreeBSD and OpenBSD service controls. It does not give a macOS restart command; consult current Apple documentation for that platform.
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