Connect to Your Pair Account with SSH

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What is SSH?

SSH, or Secure Shell, is a terminal program that allows you to connect remotely to your hosting account. It uses encryption to safeguard all data sent or received during your session.

How do I get an SSH program?

SSH comes built in on some operating systems, like MacOS, Linux, and Windows 10 and later. With these operating systems, you can simply open a command line window and begin using SSH commands. 

Examples of command lines: 

• Terminal
• Gnome Terminal
• konsole
• Xterm
• Command Prompt

If your operating system doesn't come with SSH built-in, then you can install an SSH client, such as: 

• PuTTY (Free)
• SecureCRT

How do I connect to the server via SSH using a terminal program? 

To connect to your account via SSH, follow these steps: 

1. Open a terminal program, such as Terminal, Command Prompt, etc. 
2. Enter the following command, then press Enter:
   ssh [email protected]
   
   Replace username with your Pair Networks username. 
3. If this is your first time connecting from this device, you may be asked to verify the authenticity of the host. If this is the case, type in "yes" and press Enter. 
4. Enter your Pair Networks password when prompted, then press Enter
   
   Note: Keystrokes will not be shown when entering a password. This is normal. Enter your password, then press Enter. 

Once connected, you will see a welcome message from Pair Networks. From here, you will be able to enter SSH commands to manage your account. 

How do I use my graphical SSH client to connect to the server?

You'll first need to know the name of the server to connect to.

Your web hosting server name can be found in your Pair Networks Welcome Message and in the ACC.

Once you open your SSH program, you should find a menu option like "Connect", "Open Connection," or something similar. Select that and type in your server name. If it asks for a terminal type, use "VT100."

Next, you'll be prompted for your username and password. Once you correctly enter them, you'll be logged into the system.

What commands can I use?

Now that you are logged on, you can use any of the UNIX commands to do what you need to do. If you are unfamiliar with UNIX, try visiting this UNIX Beginners Guide.

How Do I Secure My SSH Connection? 

There are two ways you can further secure your SSH connections. 

• Restrict your SSH Access
• Set up an SSH Key Pair

Restrict Your SSH Access

We include SSH access controls on Pair accounts that allow SSH. To maximize your security, you can limit the methods of SSH access. For example, if you have an SSH key, you can limit access to only allow attempts that use an SSH key. 

For specific instructions to change your SSH access controls, see our article: Manage SSH Access.

Connecting with an SSH Key via Command Line

Boost your security by using an SSH key pair instead of your account credentials. We'll walk you through connecting via the command line below. However, if you are using an SSH client, see your client's instructions for specific steps. 

Before you attempt to connect with an SSH key, ensure that you have first created an SSH key pair, stored the private key, and added the public key to your hosting account.

For more in-depth instructions, see this article: Using an SSH Key Pair. 

1. Ensure you are on the device that stores the SSH private key
2. Open your command line program
3. Type in ssh [email protected]
4. Enter the password you set when creating an SSH private key 

Once the server has verified the SSH key, you will be logged in to your account.