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SSH key pairs or a password authenticate connections to Linux Bare Metal servers. The public key is stored in the Gcore Customer Portal and the private key remains on the local machine, or a password is set during server creation through a cloud-init script. Before connecting, confirm that firewall rules allow incoming SSH traffic on port 22. A Bare Metal server must already exist in the target region.
Windows Bare Metal servers cannot be accessed via SSH. Connect through RDP or console access instead. Linux servers support SSH or the same console option.

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Connect with SSH keys

To connect with SSH keys, generate a key pair locally or in the Customer Portal, add the public key to the account, and select the key on the Bare Metal creation form. Choose one of the following ways to make an SSH key available when creating the server:
Never share a private SSH key or passphrase with third parties. Unauthorized access may compromise data stored on the server.

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Generate SSH keys locally

Generate a key pair using ssh-keygen on Windows 10 and later, Linux, and macOS, or with PuTTYgen on older Windows versions. Copy the contents of the resulting .pub file — this is the public key to add to the account.

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Generate an SSH key in the Customer Portal

To generate a key pair directly in the portal:
  1. In the Gcore Customer Portal, navigate to Cloud > SSH Keys.
  2. Click Autogenerate SSH Key.
SSH Keys page with Autogenerate SSH Key and Add SSH Key buttons
  1. Enter a key name and click Create SSH Key. The public key is stored in the account and the private key file downloads to local storage.
Autogenerate SSH Key dialog with name field and Create SSH Key button
Key names can contain only Latin characters, underscores, spaces, and dots. The length must be between 3 and 63 characters.

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Add a public SSH key to the Customer Portal

If the key was generated outside the portal, add the public key manually:
  1. In the Customer Portal, navigate to Cloud > SSH Keys.
  2. Click Add SSH Key.
  3. In the SSH key content field, paste the public key.
  4. Enter a key name and click Add SSH Key.
Add new SSH Key dialog with SSH key content and name fields
The key appears in the SSH keys list and can be selected when creating a Bare Metal server.

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Delete an SSH key

To remove a key from the account:
  1. In the Customer Portal, navigate to Cloud > SSH Keys.
  2. Find the key in the list and click the three-dot icon in the row.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. In the confirmation dialog, click Delete SSH key.

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Generate an SSH key during creation

On the Bare Metal creation form, the SSH Keys section offers a dropdown to select an existing key and links to add or generate a new key:
  • Select SSH key — attach a key already stored in the Customer Portal.
  • Add a new SSH key — paste a public key generated locally.
  • Generate an SSH key — create a new key pair in the portal.
To generate a key during creation:
  1. Click Generate an SSH key.
  2. Enter the key name and click Create SSH Key. The private key file downloads to local storage and the key is attached to the server.
Autogenerate SSH Key dialog on the Create Bare Metal page

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Connect with a password

To enable password authentication, set the password in a cloud-init script during Bare Metal creation:
  1. In the Customer Portal, navigate to Cloud > Bare Metal and click Create Bare Metal.
  2. In Additional options, select the User data checkbox. A text area appears for the cloud-init script.
Create Bare Metal page with User data checkbox and script text area
  1. Paste a script that sets the password and enables SSH password authentication:
#cloud-config
password: your-password
chpasswd: { expire: False }
ssh_pwauth: True
Replace your-password with the desired password. The same password allows SSH login or console access.
Instead of a plain-text password, a hashed password value can be used in the password field. Generate the hash with a trusted tool before adding it to the script.

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Connect via SSH

After the Bare Metal server is active, connect from a local SSH client using the server IP address, login name, and either the private key or the configured password. The login name and IP address appear on the server Overview tab next to Access to Console in the username@ip-address format.
Server overview with Access to Console button and username@ip login string
If the server has only a private network interface, a floating IP address is required for SSH access.

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Connect from Windows 7 or 8

Windows 7 and 8 do not include a built-in OpenSSH client. Use PuTTY instead:
  1. Download and launch PuTTY.
  2. In the Session section, enter the server IP address in Host Name (or IP address).
  3. Set Port to 22 and Connection type to SSH.
  4. (Key-based authentication only) Go to Connection > SSH > Auth and click Browse to select the private key in .ppk format.
If the private key is in .pem format, convert it to .ppk using PEM to PPK.
  1. Click Open.
  2. When prompted for login as, enter the username shown on the server overview tab.
  3. (Key-based authentication only) Enter the key passphrase if one was set during key generation.

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Connect from Windows 10, Linux, or macOS

Windows 10 and later include OpenSSH Client, which may need to be enabled first:
  1. Open Settings > Apps > Optional features.
  2. Find OpenSSH Client and click Install if it is not already installed.
  3. Restart the computer after installation.
  4. Open Command Prompt and run one of the commands below.
Password authentication: 
ssh username@server-ip
Key-based authentication: 
ssh username@server-ip -i /path/to/private-key
Replace username with the login from the server overview tab, server-ip with the public or floating IP address, and /path/to/private-key with the path to the private key file in PEM format. When connecting for the first time, the client asks to verify the host fingerprint. Type yes and press Enter. For password authentication, enter the password configured in the cloud-init script when prompted.