How to Connect to VPS

A step-by-step tutorial on how to connect to a VPS server from Windows, Mac, and Linux devices using the SSH protocol.

Updated: 14 Dec, 21 by linda Y 6 Min

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Dealing with servers could be quite a complex task, and we are not even talking about being a server administrator. Something as simple as just connecting to a remote server could be difficult for complete beginners. While servers running Windows Server OS could be remotely controlled using Microsoft’s proprietary remote desktop protocol, the majority of the servers on the entire world wide web run on Linux distributions.

Connecting to a Linux server or VPS is not something that requires a lot of technical knowledge; however, it is not as self-explanatory as connecting their Windows counterparts. Therefore, without someone showing how to accomplish it, most novice users will see it as a roadblock. This article is intended to help you figure out how to connect to your remote Linux server or VPS, however, let us cover some bases first.

VPS stands for a virtual private server. It is a service provided by web hosts that splits up a bare-metal server into smaller virtual machines. These VMs are then rented out for a fraction of the price of a dedicated server and each one acts as a standalone server with its own operating system and dedicated resources.

A Linux VPS, as you might have already guessed by now, is just a virtual private server that is running a Linux distribution such as Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, RHEL, etc. If you want to find out more about VPS servers and what they can be used for, check out our detailed blog on what is a VPS.

SSH (i.e., Secure Shell) is a very secure and powerful network protocol that allows users to directly access the command line of a Linux server. This will give you the ability to execute Linux commands that control your VPS server and manipulate files & applications from the comfort of your home (or office). By default, the secure shell uses port 22. We do, however, recommend that you change the port for security purposes as in case of an attack, this is the first port that potential hackers will try.

SSH is already automatically built-in to macOS and Linux operating systems but not into Windows. Therefore, you must first install an SSH client such as PuTTY before attempting to connect to a Linux server from a Windows system. In fact, PuTTY is the SSH client we are using for this article and we recommend you do the same.

PuTTY is a free software application for Microsoft Windows operating systems that can be used to make an SSH connection to your server. PuTTY is an SSH and telnet client, developed originally by Simon Tatham for the Windows platform. PuTTY is open-source software that is developed and supported by a group of volunteers.

Please note that the IP addresses and usernames used in the following sections of this article, are purely meant to serve as an example and do not represent any actual servers owned by Monovm or any other entity (as far as we know).

As mentioned previously, in order to log in to the Linux server from a Windows device, we will be using a third-party software named PuTTY. If you don't already have it installed, you can download the application here.

Step 1: Open PuTTY Terminal client. You will be greeted with the following window:

 

Step 2: Enter your connection settings:

  • Host Name: enter the IP of your server here
  • Port: 22 (leave as default)
  • Connection Type: SSH (leave as default)

Step 3: Click "Open" to start the SSH session.

If this is your first time connecting to the server from your computer, you will see the following output. Accept the connection by clicking "Yes".

Once the SSH Connection is open, you should see a terminal prompt asking for your username.

Step 4: Enter your server's root username as "root".

Step 5: Next, enter your password. You can find it in the Clients Portal. After you typed it in, hit “Enter”. 

Please note that you will not see your cursor moving, or any characters typed, when typing your password. Do not worry, this is a standard PuTTY security feature.

Step 1: Open Terminal. To do so, press Ctrl+Alt+T at the same time or type in Terminal into the search function.

Step 2: Type in the following command ssh username@serveripaddress where the username is the user you are connecting to (use root if you wish to have root access) and serveripaddress is the IP address of the server you are connecting to. Then press “Enter”.

For Example: Considering a user ID of “user1” and a URL of server1.com(82.149.65.12), the following syntax should be entered to connect to the server:

ssh user1@server1.com

OR

ssh user1@82.149.65.12

Step 3: Enter the password for the selected user and press “Enter”.

Step 1: Open Terminal. To do so, go to Applications > Utilities, and then open Terminal.

Step 2: Type in the following command ssh username@serveripaddress where username is the user you are connecting to (use root if you wish to have root access) and serveripaddress is the IP address of the server you are connecting to. Then press “Enter”.

For Example: Considering a user ID of “user1” and a URL of server1.com(82.149.65.12), the following syntax should be entered to connect to the server:

ssh user1@server1.com

OR

ssh user1@82.149.65.12

Step 3: Enter the password for the selected user and press “Enter”.

Linux server management can be quite a handful to inexperienced users. We hope that today’s article gave you some insights into what a virtual server and SSH are. We also wish that this detailed guide helped you take the first step in learning how to connect to and take control of your Linux. If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave them in the comment section down below.

linda Y

linda Y

My name is Linda, I have Master degree in Information Technology Engineering. I have some experiences in working with Windows and Linux VPS and I have been working for 2 years on Virtualization and Hosting. 

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Lyndon

2019, Aug, 19

You can certainly see your enthusiasm in the work you write. The arena hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.

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Effie

2019, Nov, 19

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