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Using SSH and creating SSH key pairs

Below are instructions for different platforms how to connect with SSH to you instances.

Different Linux distributions use different default user names to connect the first time. Below is a list of which to use for which distribution:

Distribution User name to use
Ubuntu ubuntu
Rocky Linux rocky
Fedora fedora
Debian debian
Arch Linux arch

Windows Using PuTTY

  • Download and install PuTTY from its official site.
  • Open PuTTY and in the Host Name (or IP address) field, enter the server's IP address.
  • Set the Port to '22' and the Connection type to SSH.
  • Click Open. On the terminal window, log in with your username and password.
  • For SSH key authentication, generate a key with PuTTYgen. Copy the public key to the Linux server (into '~/.ssh/authorized_keys').
  • In PuTTY, go to Connection > SSH > Auth, click Browse and choose your private key file.
  • Connect as before; PuTTY will use the provided key to authenticate.

Mac OS Built-In SSH

Open the Terminal. Run this command to connect: 

$ ssh username@server_ip
Replace 'username' and 'server_ip' with your remote username and IP address. You will be prompted for your password, or, if your SSH key is set up, authentication will proceed automatically.

Linux Built-In SSH

  • Open the Terminal. Connect with the command: 

$ ssh username@server_ip
- Replace 'username' and 'server_ip' accordingly. - By default, most Linux distributions have SSH pre-installed. If not, install it with:

$ sudo apt-get install openssh-client
  • Authentication works with password or SSH key, depending on configuration.

Generating an SSH Key (All Platforms)

On Linux or Mac OS

  • Open the Terminal.
  • Generate a new key pair with: 

$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"
- Press Enter to accept the default file location. - Enter a secure passphrase if you wish; otherwise, press Enter for no passphrase. - Your key pair will be stored in '~/.ssh/id_rsa' (private) and '~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub' (public).

On Windows

  • For OpenSSH (Windows 10+): Open Command Prompt and run: 
    $ ssh-keygen
  • For PuTTY: Run PuTTYgen, click Generate, follow prompts, and save your public and private keys. Add the public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server.
  • After generation, copy the contents of your '.pub' (public) key onto the remote machine’s '~/.ssh/authorized_keys' file for key-based authentication on all platforms.