Secure Shell, commonly known as SSH, is a cryptographic network protocol that is used to execute commands on a remote web server or to exchange info between a hosting server and a client. Due to the fact that the info exchanged by the two sides is encrypted, a third party won't be able to intercept it, which makes SSH a preferred means of handling an Internet hosting account. The commands that could be executed are determined by the type of hosting service. On a shared hosting server, for example, the alternatives are limited since you shall not have root access to the server, so you may just create/move/delete files, set up and unpack archives, export and import databases, etcetera. These are all actions which are carried out in the shared hosting account and don't require a higher level of access. Using a virtual or a dedicated server, you shall be able to install server-side software or to restart the server or just a certain service (web server, database server, etc.). SSH commands are submitted with a command line, but if you do not use a UNIX-like Operating System, there are tons of applications for other OSs, you can employ to connect to the remote hosting server as well.