How do I connect to my VDS via SSH?

SSH (Secure Shell) is the encrypted protocol that provides remote command-line access to your VDS. All operations on the server — file management, service installation, log inspection, system updates — are done via SSH. Windows users typically prefer the PuTTY application, while macOS and Linux users use the built-in terminal.

1. Finding the Connection Details

You'll need the following details for an SSH connection:

• Server IP address (e.g. 185.105.10.42)
• Port (default 22)
• Username (default root)
• Password (the root password set during installation)

To find these:

1. Go to musteri.kolan.net.tr and sign in to your account.
2. From the top menu, go to Services → My Services.
3. Click your VDS product; the opened page shows the IP, root username and password.

The same information is also in the activation email sent to you after setup.

2. Connecting with PuTTY (Windows)

1. Download and install PuTTY from putty.org (or download the portable putty.exe).
2. Open PuTTY.
3. Enter your VDS's IP address in the Host Name (or IP address) field.
4. Leave the Port as 22. Connection type should remain selected as SSH.
5. Optional: To save this connection, type a name in Saved Sessions and click Save.
6. Click the Open button.
7. On the first connection, a Server's host key warning appears; click Accept to continue (the server fingerprint is saved).
8. On the black screen, type root at the login as: prompt and press Enter.
9. Type your password at the password: prompt and press Enter.

3. Connecting with Terminal (macOS / Linux)

On macOS and Linux you don't need to install any extra application; open the Terminal app and enter the following:

ssh root@185.105.10.42

If you use a non-standard SSH port (e.g. 2222):

ssh -p 2222 root@185.105.10.42

1. On the first connection, the "The authenticity of host ... can't be established" warning appears; type yes and press Enter.
2. When prompted, enter your password (characters won't appear in Terminal either, which is normal) and press Enter.
3. On successful connection, the prompt changes to root@hostname:~#; you're now on the server.

To exit, type exit and press Enter or use Ctrl + D.

4. Passwordless Connection with SSH Key (Recommended)

If you'll be connecting via SSH regularly, creating an SSH key instead of typing a password each time is both more practical and more secure. You generate a key on your local machine and copy the public key to the server:

1. Generate the key in your local terminal (skip if you already have one):

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "email@example.com"

   Press Enter to save at the default location; optionally set a passphrase.
2. Copy the public key to the server:

   ssh-copy-id root@185.105.10.42

   The command adds the public key to the server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.
3. From now on, running ssh root@185.105.10.42 logs you in without prompting for a password.

For Windows users, you can generate the same key with PuTTY's PuTTYgen tool and load it with Pageant; then select the private key file under Connection → SSH → Auth in your PuTTY session.

5. Common Errors

• Connection timed out: Your local ISP may be blocking the SSH port, or your server's firewall is rejecting your IP. Try over a different network (mobile data, etc.).
• Permission denied (publickey, password): Wrong password or username. If you created a different user instead of root, use that.
• WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED: If the server was reinstalled, the old fingerprint is no longer valid. Delete the corresponding line from your local ~/.ssh/known_hosts (command: ssh-keygen -R 185.105.10.42).
• Network error: Connection refused: The SSH service may not be running on the server. Restart your VDS from the client area and try again.

6. Security Recommendations

• Make the root password strong (minimum 16 characters, mixed) and change the setup password.
• If possible, disable direct root login and create a separate sudo-privileged user to connect with.
• Use an SSH key and set PasswordAuthentication no in /etc/ssh/sshd_config.
• Block failed login attempts automatically by IP with tools like Fail2Ban.
• Moving the standard SSH port (22) to a different port (e.g. 2222) blocks most automated bots.

If you get stuck on an error you can't resolve, you can open a support ticket and share the error message; our team will inspect and help.