How to enable SSH on a VPS

How to enable SSH on a VPS

SSH (Secure Shell) is a secure and encrypted protocol that allows you to access your QuickServers VPS remotely and manage it from anywhere in the world. Here's how to use SSH to connect to your VPS:

1. Open your SSH client. If you're on a Mac or Linux machine, you can use the Terminal app. If you're on a Windows machine, you can use a client like PuTTY.
2. In the terminal, type the following command: ssh username@ip_address
3. Replace "username" with the username you use to log in to your VPS, and "ip_address" with the IP address of your VPS instance.
4. Press Enter. You'll be prompted to enter your password. Type your password and press Enter again. You should now be connected to your VPS via SSH.

If you encounter an SSH connection refused error, here are some troubleshooting tips:

1. Check Your Firewall Settings: Make sure that your firewall settings allow SSH traffic. By default, most VPSs on QuickServers.net have SSH traffic enabled, but you can double-check this in the control panel.
2. Verify Your IP Address and Login Credentials: Double-check that you have the correct IP address and login credentials for your VPS. If you are not sure about the correct IP address, check the IP address in your VPS dashboard or control panel.
3. Check Your SSH Configuration: If the above two steps do not help, try checking your SSH configuration. Make sure that the SSH daemon is running on your VPS. On a Linux server, you can check the status of the SSH daemon by typing the following command: sudo systemctl status sshd
4. If the SSH daemon is not running, you can start it by typing: sudo systemctl start sshd
5. If it's already running, try restarting the SSH daemon: sudo systemctl restart sshd
6. Restart Your VPS: If the above steps do not help, try restarting your VPS. This can be done in the control panel by clicking on "Restart" under the "Power Options" section.

That's it! By following these troubleshooting tips, you should be able to connect to your QuickServers VPS via SSH without any issues.

Here are a few steps you might want to consider to strengthen your VPS SSH security:

1. Use Key-Based Authentication: Instead of relying on passwords to authenticate SSH connections, you can use public key-based authentication. This method is more secure because it requires both a private and public key to establish an SSH connection. To enable key-based authentication, you need to generate a public/private key pair on your local machine and then copy the public key to your VPS. You can then configure your SSH client to use the private key for authentication.
2. Disable Root Login: By default, the root user is enabled on most VPSs, and you can log in directly using SSH. However, this is not secure as it can make your VPS vulnerable to attacks. To prevent this, you can disable root login and create a new user account with sudo privileges. This way, if an attacker gains access to your VPS, they will not be able to log in as root and execute malicious commands.
3. Use a Strong Password: If you must use password authentication, make sure that your password is strong and complex. Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Avoid using common words or phrases that can be easily guessed.
4. Keep Your SSH Client Up-to-Date: Make sure that your SSH client is up-to-date to ensure that you are using the latest security patches and fixes.
5. Use Firewall Rules: You can use firewall rules to restrict SSH traffic to only trusted IP addresses or networks. This will prevent unauthorized access to your VPS.