In this tutorial:


Your Web Hosting Hub account gives you the ability to connect to an account via SSH. To do this, you will need to use SSH Keys, which is different and more secure than a normal username/password setup. To do this you must generate an SSH key, then convert and download it, and finally connect using an SSH client. This article specifically uses the PuTTY SSH client. (download PuTTY here)

Mac users can also use SSH! Follow our full guide for SSH on Mac for more information.

Generating an SSH Key

  1. Log into your cPanel interface.
  2. Click SSH Access located under the Security category.
  3. Click on the Manage SSH Keys.
  4. Now click on the field named Generate a new Key.
  5. Keeping the default key name is fine. Now create and enter a strong password for both password fields.
  6. Click on the Generate Key button. You should see a message stating "The system successfully generated your key".
  7. From here click on the Go Back button.
  8. Now click on the Manage Authorization button.
  9. You will now see a message stating your key is not currently authorized. Click the Authorize button. The message should now change to say the key is authorized.

Downloading and Converting the SSH Key

  1. Download and install the PuTTYGen program on your local computer.
  2. Login to your cPanel interface.
  3. Click SSH Access located under the Security category.
  4. Click on the Manage SSH Keys.
  5. Find the Private Keys section. Click View/Download next to your Private key.
  6. From here, click on the Download key button.
  7. On your local computer, open PuttyGen and click on the Load button.
  8. Now, click on the PuTTY Private Key Files (*.ppk) dropdown menu and change it to All Files(*.*) and then select the id_dsa file you previously downloaded to your computer. Next, click the Open button.
  9. A box will appear and you will enter the password for your key. Then click OK.
  10. A box will appear with a message saying the key was successfully imported. Clock Ok.
  11. Now, click the Save private key button. This will download your private key file.

Connect Using SSH With PuTTY

  1. Open PuTTY and click SSH and Auth located under the Connection option.
  2. Click Browse under Private key file for authentication, select the private key you downloaded to your computer previously, and click Open.
  3. Next, click Session and enter 2222 for the port.
  4. For Host Name enter either your domain name, or shared Ip address. Click Open to connect. If a PuTTY Security Alert appears, click Yes
  5. You will now see Login As. Enter your cPanel username and hit Enter.
  6. Next, enter the password for your key file and press Enter. PuTTY will not display any information on the screen when you are entering the password.

Now you have successfully connected to your hosting server using SSH. If you have any issues, please review the steps above and contact out Live Support team if you need additional assistance.

Did you find this article helpful?

We value your feedback!

Why was this article not helpful? (Check all that apply)
The article is too difficult or too technical to follow.
There is a step or detail missing from the instructions.
The information is incorrect or out-of-date.
It does not resolve the question/problem I have.
How did you find this article?
Please tell us how we can improve this article:
Email Address
Name

new! - Enter your name and email address above and we will post your feedback in the comments on this page!

Did you find this article helpful?

Comments

n/a Points
2017-01-18 8:44 am

I need help regarding with accesssing SSH via Putty. I have followed the instruction here but the server responsed with "Server refused our key". I tried recreate the SSH key but still got the same response and I cannot go into the SSH terminal.

Please help. Thanks.

Staff
17,314 Points
2017-01-19 11:07 am
Hello BennyC,

Sorry for the problem with the key. We would need to know your account and the exact steps you are taking to generate and use the key in order for us to troubleshoot why it's not working. We would also need your account information. If you wish to handle this privately, then please submit a support ticket to our live technical support team via your Account Management Panel (AMP) interface. You will need to confirm your account for security purposes. We validate accounts with either the AMP password or the last 4 digits of the credit card on the account.

If you have any further questions, please let us know.

Kindest regards,
Arnel C.
n/a Points
2017-08-08 7:14 am

I'm trying to SSH into my account with GitBash. Must I use PuTTY?

 

Thanks,

David

361 Points
2017-08-08 2:22 pm
No any SSH client is fine. Personally, I use xShell.
n/a Points
2017-08-21 5:54 pm

When I try to connect via SSH, I get the following error:

no matching host key type found. Their offer: ssh-dss

I have been able to connect successuflly before today and have not changed anything on my end. Was there a change on the server or something?

Staff
12,339 Points
2017-08-21 6:10 pm
First, ensure you have followed all the steps of this guide. If your problems persist, I recommend contacting Live Support so they can help you review the logs for records of your connection or errors.

Thank you,
John-Paul

Post a Comment

Name:
Email Address:
Phone Number:
Comment:
Submit

Please note: Your name and comment will be displayed, but we will not show your email address.

Related Questions

Here are a few questions related to this article that our customers have asked:
Ooops! It looks like there are no questions about this page.
Would you like to ask a question about this page? If so, click the button below!
Need More Help?

Help Center Search

Current Customers

Email: support@WebHostingHub.com Ticket: Submit a Support Ticket
Call: 877-595-4HUB (4482)
757-416-6627 (Intl.)
Chat: Click To Chat Now

Ask the Community

Get help with your questions from our community of like-minded hosting users and Web Hosting Hub Staff.

Not a Customer?

Get web hosting from a company that is here to help.
}