> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nova-cloud.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SSH Keys

> Generate and manage SSH keys for secure access to your Nova Cloud VMs.

SSH keys let you securely connect to your Nova Cloud virtual machines without needing a password. This guide walks you through everything step by step — even if you've never used SSH before.

## What Are SSH Keys?

SSH keys work like a digital lock-and-key system:

* **Private key** — Stays on your computer. Think of this as your house key — never share it.
* **Public key** — You upload this to Nova Cloud. Think of this as the lock on your door.

When you connect to a VM, your computer proves it has the matching private key. No password is sent over the internet, making it much more secure than password authentication.

## Do I Already Have an SSH Key?

Before generating a new key, check if you already have one.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Mac">
    Open **Terminal** (search for "Terminal" in Spotlight, or find it in Applications → Utilities) and run:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ls ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub 2>/dev/null && echo "Key found!" || echo "No key found."
    ```

    If you see **"Key found!"**, skip to [Upload Your Key](#uploading-your-ssh-key). Otherwise, follow the generation steps below.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    Open **PowerShell** (search for "PowerShell" in the Start menu) and run:

    ```powershell theme={null}
    if (Test-Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub") { "Key found!" } else { "No key found." }
    ```

    If you see **"Key found!"**, skip to [Upload Your Key](#uploading-your-ssh-key). Otherwise, follow the generation steps below.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux">
    Open a terminal and run:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ls ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub 2>/dev/null && echo "Key found!" || echo "No key found."
    ```

    If you see **"Key found!"**, skip to [Upload Your Key](#uploading-your-ssh-key). Otherwise, follow the generation steps below.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Generating a New SSH Key

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Mac">
    ### Step 1: Open Terminal

    * Press **Cmd + Space** to open Spotlight
    * Type **Terminal** and press Enter

    ### Step 2: Generate the Key

    Paste this command and press Enter:

    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
    ```

    Replace `your-email@example.com` with your actual email (this is just a label to help you identify the key).

    ### Step 3: Save the Key

    You'll see:

    ```
    Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/yourname/.ssh/id_ed25519):
    ```

    Just press **Enter** to accept the default location.

    ### Step 4: Set a Passphrase (Optional)

    You'll be asked for a passphrase. You have two options:

    * Press **Enter** twice for no passphrase (simpler, fine for most users)
    * Type a passphrase for extra security (you'll need to enter it each time you connect)

    ### Step 5: Copy Your Public Key

    ```bash theme={null}
    pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
    ```

    This copies the key to your clipboard silently — you won't see any output. Your key is ready to paste into the Nova Cloud console.

    <Tip>
      If `pbcopy` doesn't work, you can display the key and copy it manually:

      ```bash theme={null}
      cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
      ```

      Select the entire output (it starts with `ssh-ed25519`) and copy it with **Cmd + C**.
    </Tip>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows">
    ### Step 1: Open PowerShell

    * Click the **Start** button or press the **Windows key**
    * Type **PowerShell** and click to open it

    ### Step 2: Generate the Key

    Paste this command and press Enter:

    ```powershell theme={null}
    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
    ```

    Replace `your-email@example.com` with your actual email.

    <Note>
      **Windows 10 (version 1809+) and Windows 11** include SSH tools by default. If you see an error like "ssh-keygen is not recognized", you need to enable the OpenSSH Client:

      1. Open **Settings** → **Apps** → **Optional Features**
      2. Click **Add a feature**
      3. Search for **OpenSSH Client** and install it
      4. Close and re-open PowerShell, then try again
    </Note>

    ### Step 3: Save the Key

    You'll see:

    ```
    Enter file in which to save the key (C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519):
    ```

    Just press **Enter** to accept the default location.

    ### Step 4: Set a Passphrase (Optional)

    You'll be asked for a passphrase. You have two options:

    * Press **Enter** twice for no passphrase (simpler, fine for most users)
    * Type a passphrase for extra security (you'll need to enter it each time you connect)

    ### Step 5: Copy Your Public Key

    ```powershell theme={null}
    Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard
    ```

    This copies the key to your clipboard. Your key is ready to paste into the Nova Cloud console.

    <Tip>
      If the clipboard command doesn't work, you can display the key and copy it manually:

      ```powershell theme={null}
      Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub
      ```

      Select the entire output (it starts with `ssh-ed25519`) and copy it with **Ctrl + C**.
    </Tip>

    ### Alternative: PuTTYgen (Older Windows Systems)

    If you're on an older version of Windows without built-in SSH:

    1. Download [PuTTY](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html) (includes PuTTYgen)
    2. Open **PuTTYgen** from the Start menu
    3. Under "Type of key to generate", select **EdDSA** and ensure **Ed25519** is selected
    4. Click **Generate** and move your mouse randomly in the window to create randomness
    5. Once generated, the public key appears in the text box at the top — copy it
    6. Click **Save private key** and save it somewhere safe on your computer
    7. Paste the public key into the Nova Cloud console

    <Warning>
      If you use PuTTYgen, you'll need to use **PuTTY** (not the built-in `ssh` command) to connect to your VMs. For most Windows 10/11 users, the PowerShell method above is simpler.
    </Warning>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Linux">
    ### Step 1: Open a Terminal

    Use your distribution's terminal application (e.g., GNOME Terminal, Konsole, xterm).

    ### Step 2: Generate the Key

    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
    ```

    Replace `your-email@example.com` with your actual email.

    ### Step 3: Save the Key

    Press **Enter** to accept the default location (`~/.ssh/id_ed25519`).

    ### Step 4: Set a Passphrase (Optional)

    Press **Enter** twice for no passphrase, or type one for extra security.

    ### Step 5: Copy Your Public Key

    ```bash theme={null}
    cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
    ```

    Select and copy the entire output line (it starts with `ssh-ed25519`).

    <Tip>
      If you have `xclip` or `wl-copy` installed, you can copy directly to the clipboard:

      ```bash theme={null}
      # X11
      xclip -selection clipboard < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
      # Wayland
      wl-copy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
      ```
    </Tip>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Uploading Your SSH Key

1. Log in to [console.nova-cloud.ai](https://console.nova-cloud.ai)
2. Go to **Account Settings** → **SSH Keys**
3. Click **Add SSH Key**
4. Paste your public key (the text you copied above — it starts with `ssh-ed25519`)
5. Enter a name to help you remember which computer this key is from (e.g., "MacBook Pro", "Work Desktop")
6. Click **Save**

<Frame caption="SSH key upload form in Account Settings">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/novacloudservicesinc/vyZyT77P0XaT78JA/images/guides/ssh-key-upload-form.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vyZyT77P0XaT78JA&q=85&s=f2d86537d1350d8b0a055baf40ea10db" alt="SSH key upload form with label and public key fields" width="2106" height="1658" data-path="images/guides/ssh-key-upload-form.png" />
</Frame>

<Note>
  You can upload up to **5 SSH keys** per account. This is useful if you connect from multiple computers.
</Note>

## Supported Key Types

| Key Type              | Algorithm       |          Recommended?          |
| --------------------- | --------------- | :----------------------------: |
| `ssh-ed25519`         | Ed25519         | **Yes** — fastest, most secure |
| `ssh-rsa`             | RSA (2048+ bit) |     Yes — widely compatible    |
| `ecdsa-sha2-nistp256` | ECDSA P-256     |            Supported           |

We recommend **Ed25519** for the best combination of security and performance. The instructions on this page generate Ed25519 keys by default.

## Connecting to a VM

Once your VM is running (you can see the status on the Dashboard), connect using the IP address shown in the console:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Mac / Linux">
    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh ubuntu@<your-vm-ip-address>
    ```

    **First time connecting?** You'll see a message like:

    ```
    The authenticity of host '...' can't be established.
    Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
    ```

    Type `yes` and press Enter. This is normal and only happens once per VM.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows (PowerShell)">
    ```powershell theme={null}
    ssh ubuntu@<your-vm-ip-address>
    ```

    **First time connecting?** You'll see a fingerprint confirmation prompt. Type `yes` and press Enter.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Windows (PuTTY)">
    If you generated your key with PuTTYgen:

    1. Open **PuTTY**
    2. In **Host Name**, enter: `ubuntu@<your-vm-ip-address>`
    3. In the left panel, go to **Connection** → **SSH** → **Auth** → **Credentials**
    4. Under "Private key file for authentication", browse to your saved `.ppk` file
    5. Click **Open** to connect
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Specifying a Key Manually

If you have multiple SSH keys, you can tell SSH which one to use:

```bash theme={null}
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ubuntu@<your-vm-ip-address>
```

## Managing Your Keys

### Viewing Keys

See all your uploaded keys in **Account Settings** → **SSH Keys**. Each key shows its name, type, fingerprint, and when it was added.

<Frame caption="SSH Keys list in Account Settings showing uploaded keys">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/novacloudservicesinc/vyZyT77P0XaT78JA/images/guides/ssh-keys-list.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=vyZyT77P0XaT78JA&q=85&s=261b6e83d5eb13dfba13d6b86766c9ed" alt="SSH Keys list showing key names, types, fingerprints, and dates" width="2090" height="742" data-path="images/guides/ssh-keys-list.png" />
</Frame>

### Deleting a Key

To remove a key you no longer need:

1. Go to **Account Settings** → **SSH Keys**
2. Click the delete button next to the key
3. Confirm the deletion

<Note>
  Deleting a key from your account does **not** remove it from VMs that are already running. It only prevents the key from being added to new VMs.
</Note>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Permission denied (publickey)">
    This means the VM doesn't recognize your key. Try these fixes:

    1. **Make sure you uploaded the right key.** The public key you uploaded to Nova Cloud must match the private key on your computer.

    2. **Specify the key explicitly:**

    ```bash theme={null}
    ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ubuntu@<vm-ip>
    ```

    3. **Check your SSH agent:**

    ```bash theme={null}
    # See which keys are loaded
    ssh-add -l

    # If your key isn't listed, add it
    ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    ```

    4. **Check file permissions (Mac/Linux):** Your private key file must not be readable by others:

    ```bash theme={null}
    chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="ssh command not found (Windows)">
    Windows 10 (version 1809+) and Windows 11 include an SSH client, but it may not be enabled:

    1. Open **Settings** → **Apps** → **Optional Features**
    2. Click **Add a feature**
    3. Search for **OpenSSH Client** and install it
    4. Restart PowerShell and try again

    Alternatively, use [PuTTY](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html) as described above.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Key format not recognized">
    Make sure you're uploading the **public** key (ending in `.pub`), not the private key. The public key should be a single line starting with `ssh-ed25519`, `ssh-rsa`, or `ecdsa-sha2-nistp256`.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Maximum keys reached">
    You can have up to 5 SSH keys per account. Delete unused keys in **Account Settings** → **SSH Keys** before adding new ones.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Key works for some VMs but not others">
    SSH keys are added to a VM when it's created. If you uploaded a new key after creating a VM, that key won't be on the existing VM.

    **Solutions:**

    * Create a new VM (it will include your latest keys)
    * Or manually add the key inside the running VM:

    ```bash theme={null}
    echo "ssh-ed25519 AAAA..." >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
    ```
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Connection times out">
    If SSH hangs and eventually says "Connection timed out":

    1. Make sure the VM is in **Running** status in the dashboard
    2. Check that you're using the correct IP address from the dashboard
    3. Wait a minute — newly created VMs may take a moment to be fully accessible
    4. Try again. If it persists, the VM may be experiencing issues — try stopping and starting it from the dashboard.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>