Developers

What is SSH and how do you connect to a server?

3 November 2026 5 min read

SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol that gives you the command line of a remote server over an encrypted connection. To connect to your server, open a terminal on your own computer and type ssh username@IP-address. By default, the connection uses TCP port 22.

SSH is the standard way to manage a VPS. Passwords and commands travel encrypted, so it is safe to use over the internet. The same channel also carries file transfers (scp and sftp).

What you need to connect

You need three things: the server's IP address, a username, and a password or an SSH key. In the Seturack panel, open My servers and click your server. The Overview tab has the IP Address, Username and Password rows. On servers with a one-click app, the page also shows another Password row near the top. That one logs you in to the app. For SSH, use the Password row under Username.

Connecting from Windows, macOS and Linux

Open a terminal: PowerShell on Windows, Terminal on macOS and Linux. Type the command below. Use the value from the Username row instead of root, and your own address instead of the example IP:

ssh [email protected]

The first time, SSH shows the server's fingerprint, which identifies the machine you are connecting to. Type yes and press Enter. Your computer remembers the fingerprint and compares it on every later connection. Then paste the password. Nothing appears on screen while you type it, which is normal.

The fingerprint lets you check that the machine you reached is really your server. To be sure, open the VNC Console in the panel, run the command below on the server, and compare the value starting with SHA256: with the one your terminal showed:

ssh-keygen -lf /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ed25519_key.pub

On Windows 10 (version 1809) and later, the OpenSSH client is an optional feature. If the ssh command isn't found, add OpenSSH Client under Optional features in Settings. Or run this in a PowerShell window opened as administrator:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client~~~~0.0.1.0

If SSH on the server listens on a different port, add -p. To use a specific key file, add -i:

ssh -p 2222 -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 [email protected]

Once connected, every command you type runs on the server. whoami tells you which user you are, and exit closes the connection. If your network drops, the processes in that session stop too. Start long jobs inside tmux and they keep running when the connection drops. Use tmux attach to get back to the session.

File transfers and a shortcut

The same connection can copy files. From your computer to the server, and from the server back to your computer:

scp backup.zip [email protected]:/root/

scp [email protected]:/root/backup.zip .

If you don't want to type the IP every time, add these three lines to the ~/.ssh/config file on your computer:

Host myserver

HostName 203.0.113.5

User root

From then on, ssh myserver is enough.

An SSH key instead of a password

Logging in with a key removes the risk of someone guessing your password, but only if password login is switched off too: adding a key doesn't switch it off by itself. A key comes in two parts: the private key stays on your computer, and the public key goes on the server. The server only lets in people who can prove they hold the private key. Create the pair on your own computer. The command is the same in Windows PowerShell:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519

It asks for a passphrase, so don't leave it empty. Two files are created: id_ed25519 is the private key and you should never share it. id_ed25519.pub is the public key. You can add the public key to the server in two ways:

In the panel, paste the contents of the .pub file into the SSH Keys tool on the Management tab. The key becomes active the next time the server boots.
On Linux and macOS, if you can already log in with the password: ssh-copy-id [email protected]

After that, the same ssh command connects without asking for the server password. If you set a passphrase, it asks for that instead. Switching off password login is a separate SSH setting, and the order of the steps matters, or you can lock yourself out. We cover it in step 4 of "The first 10 security steps on a new VPS".

Common errors

Message	What it means	What to do
Permission denied	The username or password is wrong, or the key isn't registered.	Copy and paste the Username and Password values from the panel. If you use a key, make sure the server has restarted since you added it.
Connection refused	The SSH service isn't running on the server, or the port is closed.	Check that the server is running. From the VNC Console, try `systemctl start ssh`.
Connection timed out	Your request never reaches the server: the IP is wrong, the server is off, or a firewall blocks port 22.	Check the IP and the server status, look at your firewall rules, and try from another network.
Too many authentication failures	Your SSH agent offered several keys and the server hit its attempt limit.	Offer only the key you want: `ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 [email protected]`
REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED	The fingerprint of the server at this IP has changed. If you reinstalled the server, that is expected.	If you expected the change, remove the old entry with `ssh-keygen -R 203.0.113.5`. If you didn't, don't connect.

If you enter the wrong password several times in a row, fail2ban (which runs on one-click app servers) blocks your IP address for a while. The connection may time out during that period. Wait a little or try from another network.

If you can't connect at all

VNC Console: the tool on the Management tab opens the server's screen in your browser. It doesn't depend on SSH, so you can check the service from there.
If you forgot the password: use the Reset Root Password tool on the Management tab.