How Can I Execute Commands Remotely Over SSH Using Python?

Performing Commands Over SSH with Python

Automating command execution on remote machines is a common task in system administration. Python's subprocess module can handle local commands, but what if you need to execute commands on a remote host over SSH?

To overcome this challenge, consider using the Paramiko library. Paramiko provides a comprehensive set of tools for SSH communication. Let's explore how to use Paramiko to perform remote command execution.

Using Paramiko for Remote Command Execution

<code class="python">import paramiko

# Connect to the remote host with username, password, and hostname
ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
ssh.connect(hostname, username, password)

# Execute a command using exec_command
ssh_stdin, ssh_stdout, ssh_stderr = ssh.exec_command(command)

# Handle output and error output
print(ssh_stdout.read().decode())
print(ssh_stderr.read().decode())

# Close the connection
ssh.close()</code>

Using SSH Keys for Authentication

If you prefer to use SSH keys for authentication, you can do so by setting the key using paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key_file().

<code class="python">k = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key_file(keyfilename)

ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
ssh.connect(hostname, username, pkey=k)</code>

Example Usage

For instance, you can execute and capture the output of a remote command with the following code:

<code class="python">ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
ssh.connect("remote_host", "username", "password")
stdin, stdout, stderr = ssh.exec_command("df -h")
output = stdout.read().decode()
ssh.close()

print(output)</code>

By leveraging the power of Paramiko, you can effortlessly execute commands, retrieve output, and handle errors on remote machines from the comfort of your Python scripts.

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