Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

SSH Login to Your Hetzner VPS

Step 1: Get Your Server’s IP Address

From the Hetzner Cloud Console, copy your server’s IPv4 address.

Example: 123.45.67.89

Step 2: Open Terminal

  • Linux/macOS: Open Terminal
  • Windows: Use PowerShell, Windows Terminal, or install WSL

Step 3: SSH Login Command

Basic Login

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your actual IP address.

Example:

ssh root@123.45.67.89

First Time Connection

You’ll see a message like:

The authenticity of host '123.45.67.89' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type yes and press Enter.

Step 4: Authentication

You’ll login automatically - no password needed! ✅

If You Didn’t Add SSH Key

You’ll be prompted for the root password. Find it in:

  • Hetzner Cloud Console → Your Server → Access tab
  • Email from Hetzner (sent when server was created)

Step 5: Verify You’re Logged In

After successful login, you’ll see:

root@your-server-name:~#

You’re now logged into your VPS as root! 🎉

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied (publickey)

Your SSH key isn’t configured. Either:

  • Add your SSH key in Hetzner console and rebuild server
  • Use password authentication if available

Connection Refused

  • Server might still be starting (wait 30 seconds)
  • Check if you’re using correct IP address
  • Firewall might be blocking (unlikely on fresh Hetzner VPS)

Connection Timeout

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify IP address is correct
  • Try from different network (corporate firewalls sometimes block SSH)

Better SSH Configuration (Optional)

Create/edit ~/.ssh/config on your local machine:

Host homelab-vps
    HostName 123.45.67.89
    User root
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Then you can login simply with:

ssh homelab-vps