Connect to your server with SSH

You manage a VPSNine server over SSH, from a terminal. New servers have no root password. You log in as root with the SSH key you picked when you ordered, at the IPv4 address the panel shows for the server. The examples use the placeholder 203.0.113.42; swap in your own.

You can't order a server without a key, so if you don't have one yet, make one and save it in your account first.

Linux and macOS#

Open a terminal and run:

ssh [email protected]

The first time, SSH shows the server's key fingerprint and asks if you trust it. Type yes. If your key has a passphrase, SSH asks for it. The passphrase unlocks the key on your computer and is never sent to the server.

Windows#

Windows 10 and 11 come with the OpenSSH client already. Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the same command:

ssh [email protected]

First steps once you're in#

Update everything first. On Ubuntu and Debian:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Then give root a password:

passwd

SSH won't use it; it keeps taking only keys. The password is for the serial console, which is how you get back in if SSH ever breaks. The first-hour checklist covers the rest.

When it won't connect#

The error message usually tells you which way to look:

• Connection refused: the server is probably still booting. Give it a minute.
• Connection timed out: check the address. Then check that nothing on your side blocks port 22 (office and hotel networks sometimes do). If you've turned on a firewall on the server, make sure it allows SSH; see Set up a firewall with ufw.
• Permission denied (publickey): the server doesn't have the key SSH offered. If you have more than one key, name the right one with ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 [email protected].
• REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED: normal after a reinstall, because the new system has new host keys. Clear the old one with ssh-keygen -R 203.0.113.42 and connect again. If you didn't reinstall, stop there and open a support ticket.

To see exactly where it stops, add -v:

ssh -v [email protected]

Every server also has a serial console in the panel that reaches it without going through the network, for the times SSH itself is what's broken. It works once you've set a password with passwd.