SSH

SSH (Secure Shell) is the standard way to control a Linux server. It opens an encrypted terminal session between your computer and the server so you can run commands as if you were sitting in front of the machine. Every Linux VPS and Dedicated server we ship has SSH enabled out of the box and is reachable as soon as your welcome email arrives.

What you’ll need

• Your server’s IPv4 address (in your welcome email)
• The username to log in as (typically root)
• The password for that user (in your welcome email)

Connecting

Open a terminal on your computer and run:

ssh <user>@<host>

Replace <user> with your username and <host> with your server’s IP address. For example:

ssh [email protected]

First connection: accept the host fingerprint

The first time you connect to a server, SSH will print a warning that begins with:

The authenticity of host '<IP> (<IP>)' can't be established.

The rest of the message contains your server’s host key fingerprint and asks whether you trust it. This is normal for a first connection: type yes and press Enter to add the key to your known hosts file.

Enter your password

After accepting the host key, SSH will prompt for your password:

<user>@<host>'s password:

Once you’re authenticated, the prompt at the start of each line changes to show the user and host you’re connected to (for example, root@your-server:~#). That’s how you can tell at a glance whether your terminal is talking to your local machine or to your server.

From Windows

Modern Windows includes a built-in SSH client. Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run the same ssh <user>@<host> command shown above. No installation required.

If you prefer a graphical client that can save sessions and manage SSH keys, PuTTY is a popular and free option.

From macOS

macOS ships with an SSH client in Terminal.app (Applications → Utilities → Terminal). Open it and run the ssh <user>@<host> command above. No installation required.