How to connect to your VPS via SSH (Windows, macOS, Linux)

SSH (Secure Shell) is the standard way to manage a Linux server remotely over an encrypted connection. As soon as you create a Cloud VPS you get an IP address, a user (usually root) and a password, all shown on the server page in your panel.

From Linux or macOS

Both ship with an SSH client in the terminal. Open it and run:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

On the first connection you confirm the server fingerprint with yes, then enter the password. You are now on the server.

From Windows

Windows 10 and 11 already include an SSH client. Open PowerShell or Terminal and use the same command above. If you prefer a graphical client, PuTTY works too: enter the IP, port 22, and authenticate with the user and password.

Connecting with an SSH key (recommended)

SSH keys are more secure than passwords and remove the risk of brute-force attacks. Generate a key pair once:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

Add the public key to your cloudlinux.ro account (the SSH keys section), and you can inject it automatically when creating a new server. From then on you connect without a password.

Common issues

• Connection timed out: check the IP and that the server has finished booting (status shows in the panel).
• Permission denied: wrong password or user, or the public key is not on the server.
• Host key changed: appears after you reinstall the OS, which is normal. Remove the old entry from ~/.ssh/known_hosts.

Once connected, the first thing to do is secure your server: see the guide First steps after buying a VPS.