How to restore my SSH access

What this is#

You can't SSH into your VPS. Work through these steps in order, they're arranged from most to least likely, and every one of them is self-service.

Step 0: run the automated check#

My VPS is Down (https://vpsdime.com/myvpsisdown) does the first half of this page for you: it checks whether the VPS is running and reachable, detects whether your own IP was banned by our SSH firewall and whitelists it automatically, and can re-enable SSH password login or reset the password. Run it first; if it fixes the cause, you're done.

Step 1: is your IP banned?#

Our network bans IPs that rack up failed password logins on port 22, and the most common victim is the owner retrying an out-of-date password (or a script doing it for them). The telltale sign: SSH times out or is refused from your machine, but the VPS is up and reachable from elsewhere (run the IP through ping.pe, which pings it from dozens of locations at once, green everywhere but dead for you is the banned-IP signature, or try your phone off Wi-Fi). The troubleshooter above unblocks you automatically, and can whitelist your IPs permanently.

Step 2: is it your own firewall?#

If you recently installed or reconfigured a firewall (ufw, CSF, firewalld, iptables) and lost SSH, or lost it after a reboot when the firewall came back up without an SSH rule, this is the cause. Fix it through the Console in your client area, which connects to the VPS's screen directly and doesn't care about network rules:

1. Open the Console and log in as root.
2. Allow SSH in whichever firewall you run, the exact commands for each are in Commands to allow SSH access in common firewalls.
3. If you're not sure which firewall you installed, the same page has the stop commands, stop them one by one until access returns, then configure the one you actually use properly.

Step 3: is SSH itself running?#

Still in the Console:

systemctl status ssh     # Debian/Ubuntu
systemctl status sshd    # RHEL-family (Alma, Rocky)

If it's stopped, systemctl start ssh (or sshd). If it refuses to start, you likely have a typo in /etc/ssh/sshd_config, run sshd -t to see exactly which line is broken, fix it, and start the service again.

Step 4: ask us#

If none of that restores access, run My VPS is Down to the end, it escalates into a support ticket with the diagnostics already attached, which gets you a useful first reply fastest.

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 and the IP you're connecting from,
• what happens when you try to SSH (timeout, refused, wrong password), copied exactly,
• whether the Console works.

Related questions#

• "I can't SSH into my VPS, what do I check?"
• "SSH times out but my VPS is online."
• "I installed a firewall and lost SSH access."
• "How do I get in when SSH is broken?"
• "sshd won't start after I edited the config."