How to Connect to Your VPS via SSH

Connecting to your VPS via SSH (Secure Shell) is the primary way to manage your server. This guide covers connecting from every major operating system, setting up SSH keys, and securing your connection.

Finding Your VPS Credentials

Before connecting, locate your server details in the VirtFusion panel:

Log in to VirtFusion from your BearHost dashboard
Select your VPS instance
Note the IP Address, Root Password, and SSH Port (default: 22)

If you have not set a root password, click Reset Root Password in VirtFusion to generate one.

Connecting from Windows

Using PuTTY

Download PuTTY from putty.org
Open PuTTY and enter your VPS IP in the Host Name field
Ensure port is set to 22 and connection type is SSH
Click Open
Accept the host key fingerprint on first connection
Log in as root and enter your password

Using Windows Terminal (Windows 10/11)

Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Connecting from Mac or Linux

Open Terminal and run:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Accept the fingerprint when prompted, then enter your password.

Changing the Root Password

Once connected, change your root password immediately:

passwd

Enter and confirm your new password. Use at least 16 characters with mixed case, numbers, and symbols.

Creating a Non-Root User

Running as root is risky. Create a regular user with sudo privileges:

adduser deployer
usermod -aG sudo deployer

Test the new user:

su - deployer
sudo whoami  # Should output: root

Setting Up SSH Key Authentication (Recommended)

SSH keys are far more secure than passwords. Generate a key pair on your local machine:

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

Press Enter to accept the default file location. Set a passphrase for extra security.

Copy the public key to your server:

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

On Windows without ssh-copy-id, manually copy the contents of id_ed25519.pub and paste them into ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server.

Disabling Password Authentication

After confirming key-based login works, disable passwords:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Set these values:

PasswordAuthentication no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
PermitRootLogin prohibit-password

Restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Essential First Commands

After your first login, run these commands:

apt update && apt upgrade -y   # Update all packages
df -h                          # Check disk usage
free -m                        # Check RAM usage
uname -a                       # Check OS info

Troubleshooting

| Problem | Solution | |---|---| | Connection timed out | Verify IP address; check firewall/security group allows port 22 | | Connection refused | Ensure SSH service is running: sudo systemctl status sshd | | Permission denied | Double-check password or SSH key; verify user exists | | Host key changed warning | Remove old key: ssh-keygen -R YOUR_SERVER_IP | | Slow connection | Add UseDNS no to sshd_config |

Security Best Practices

Install fail2ban to block brute-force attempts: sudo apt install fail2ban -y
Change the default SSH port from 22 to a high port (e.g., 2222) in /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Use a firewall: sudo ufw allow 2222/tcp && sudo ufw enable
Keep your system updated regularly with apt update && apt upgrade
Disable root login entirely once you have a sudo user configured