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SSH Keys

Control which SSH keys can reach your server, and connect securely with them.

Manage SSH keys​

From the dashboard, open the Security tab and click Show Options on Manage SSH Keys. From there you can add or remove keys allowed on the server.

  • Add a key — Click Add key, give it a title, and save.
  • Delete a key — Click the trash icon next to the key. You will be asked to confirm.

Manage SSH Keys panel

Connect from Mac or Linux​

1. Check for an existing key pair​

ls ~/.ssh

The file ending in .pub is your public key. If you have none, generate one:

ssh-keygen -b 4096 -t rsa

2. Add your public key to Elestio​

Display your public key (replace the filename with yours):

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Then, in your Elestio service:

  1. Open the Security tab.
  2. Go to Manage SSH Keys and click Add key.
  3. Paste your public key and save.

3. Test the connection​

ssh root@IPV4_TARGET_VM

Replace IPV4_TARGET_VM with your service IPv4 address from the Overview tab. For example:

ssh root@128.144.84.22

If it succeeds, you are logged into your VM.

Connect from Windows with WSL​

1. Set up WSL​

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

This enables the required features and installs the latest WSL.

2. Install a Linux distribution​

Install a distribution from the Microsoft Store (for example, Ubuntu), launch it from the Start menu to initialize it, then create a user and password.

3. Update packages​

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

Then follow the Mac/Linux steps above to connect with your SSH key.