Remote Desktop is, in simple terms, a technology that displays the desktop of a remote computer on the screen of your local computer. This allows you to control a computer remotely. This involves transferring the graphical user interface (GUI) of the remote computer or server to the local computer. Mouse and keyboard input from the local computer are transferred to the remote computer or server.
There are various technologies and protocols for executing remote desktops. The most well-known is Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), which is installed by default on most Windows systems. With RDP, users can control a remote Windows computer from another computer, regardless of whether that other computer is running Windows, MacOS, Linux, or another operating system.
Other commonly used remote desktop technologies include VNC (Virtual Network Computing, which we use for the VPS console at TransIP) and SSH with X11 forwarding for Unix-like systems.
Using remote desktop can be useful for a wide range of applications, from helping friends and family with computer issues to accessing your work computer from home or managing servers in a data center. However, it's important to consider security when using remote desktop, as it can potentially be an entry point for attackers if not configured correctly.