Connect to Your VPS with SSH

SSH (Secure Shell) is how you administer a Linux VPS: an encrypted terminal session from your computer to the server. Every modern operating system ships an SSH client, so there is nothing to buy and usually nothing to install.

What you need#

• Your server's IP address, from the welcome email or the service page in MyNobull.
• The username. Fresh Linux images log in as root. If you have already created your own user, use that instead.
• The password from the welcome email, or your SSH key if you have set one up.

macOS and Linux#

Open Terminal (macOS: Applications, then Utilities) and run:

ssh [email protected]

Replace 203.0.113.10 with your server's IP. Type the password when prompted; nothing is echoed as you type, which is normal.

Windows 10 and 11#

Windows includes an OpenSSH client. Open Windows Terminal or PowerShell and use exactly the same command:

ssh [email protected]

Prefer a graphical client? PuTTY is the long-standing choice: enter the IP in Host Name, leave the port at 22, click Open, and log in at the prompt. Its companion PuTTYgen handles key generation if you go that route later.

The host key prompt#

The first time you connect you will see something like:

The authenticity of host '203.0.113.10' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:....
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type yes. Your client stores the server's fingerprint and will warn you loudly if it ever changes.

Common connection errors#

Connection timed out

Nothing answered on port 22. The most common causes are a firewall rule on the server that blocks SSH, the server being powered off, or a typo in the IP. Check the power state in the cloud portal, then use the browser console to inspect the firewall from inside.

Connection refused

The server answered but nothing is listening on that port: the SSH service is stopped or you changed its port. Fix it from the console with systemctl status ssh (Ubuntu and Debian) or systemctl status sshd (AlmaLinux and Rocky).

Permission denied

Wrong username or password, or your key is not installed for that user. Retype carefully; a password manager paste with a trailing newline is a classic. If you have disabled password logins, you must present the matching key. If all else fails, log in through the console and reset the password locally.

Remote host identification has changed

Expected after a reinstall (see above). If you did not reinstall, stop and open a ticket before continuing.

Next#

Once you are in, run through First Steps on a New Linux Server, and switch to SSH keys so you can stop typing passwords altogether.