Connecting to your VPS (SSH)

What this is#

Your first connection to a Linux VPS or Premium VPS. You manage these over SSH, a secure remote terminal. A Windows VPS is different, you connect to a full desktop over Remote Desktop instead; see how to connect using RDP.

Your credentials#

• Username: root. That's the administrator account on your VPS, and the default login for every fresh deployment.
• Password: generated when you deploy and shown once with a Copy button (it's also in your welcome email). Change it after your first login with the passwd command.
• Lost it? Reset the root password any time from Manage VPS.

Connect#

Windows 10+, macOS, and Linux all have SSH built into their terminal (PowerShell or Terminal on Windows). One command:

ssh [email protected]

Your VPS's IP is on its Manage VPS page and in your welcome email. Two first-time things to expect:

• A host-key prompt ("The authenticity of host ... can't be established"). This is normal on the first connection to any new server: type yes. If you ever see a loud "REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED" warning later, that's usually because you reinstalled the VPS (new OS, new key), remove the old line with ssh-keygen -R YOUR.VPS.IP and connect again (the full story on that warning).
• The password doesn't show as you type. No dots, no stars, nothing. That's how terminals do passwords; type it and press Enter.

Prefer a graphical client on Windows? PuTTY still works fine, put the IP in Host Name and open, but the built-in ssh command has been standard on Windows for years and is one less thing to install.

Two things worth doing next#

• Set up SSH keys. Passwordless, far more secure, and it makes the next point moot. Save a key on the SSH Keys page for future deploys, and see Securing your VPS for the full setup.
• Don't brute-force yourself. Our network bans IPs that rack up failed password attempts on port 22. If you're retrying passwords from memory, three wrong guesses is the time to reset the password from the panel instead.

If SSH won't connect at all#

The Console in your client area connects straight to your VPS's screen in the browser, no SSH, no networking needed. It always works, even when the firewall or network config on the VPS is broken, which makes it the tool for "I locked myself out." For a guided diagnosis of any connection problem, run My VPS is Down.

Linux and Remote Desktop#

Microsoft's Remote Desktop (RDP) does not connect to a Linux VPS. Linux servers don't come with a desktop at all, everything happens in the terminal, which is exactly what makes a VPS light and fast.

• If you want a graphical desktop on Linux, it's possible and self-setup: install a desktop environment (XFCE is the light classic) plus xRDP, VNC, or X2Go, the full guide with the options compared is Installing a desktop environment on your VPS.
• If what you actually want is a point-and-click Windows machine, that's our Windows VPS product, a full Windows Server desktop over RDP with the license included.

Still need help?#

You can open a support ticket. So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning:

• the VPS hostname or IP,
• what happens when you try to connect (timeout, refused, wrong password), copied exactly.

Related questions#

• "How do I connect to my VPS?"
• "What is my SSH username and password?"
• "Why doesn't my password show when I type it?"
• "What is the host key / authenticity prompt?"
• "Can I use Remote Desktop with a Linux VPS?"
• "How do I get a desktop (GUI) on my Linux VPS?"
• "I locked myself out of SSH, what now?"