How to Add an SSH Key During the Creation of a Linux Cloud VPS

SSH (Secure Shell) is a network protocol that allows you to securely connect to your Linux Cloud VPS through a command-line interface commonly used on Unix-based systems. All commands sent through SSH are encrypted, ensuring data confidentiality and integrity.

When creating a Linux Cloud VPS using a Linux-based template in the SeFlow panel, you can enable SSH key authentication by uploading a public SSH key in the dedicated section.

Prerequisites

• an SSH key pair already generated (private key + public key);
• a Linux Cloud VPS being created with a Linux-based template;
• access to the “Server Management Account” step of the Cloud VPS creation wizard.

Where to Add the SSH Key During VPS Creation

You can add the SSH key in the “5 - Server Management Account” section of the SeFlow Cloud VPS creation wizard. In this section, you can:

• set the server access password;
• upload an SSH key for secure authentication;
• enable passwordless SSH access.

Uploading the SSH Key

To add an SSH key during the creation of your Linux Cloud VPS:

1. go to the “5 - Server Management Account” section of the wizard;
2. find the field dedicated to the SSH key;
3. choose one of the available upload methods.

Option 1: Upload the SSH Key from Your Device

• click the SELECT button next to the SSH key field;
• in your computer’s file manager, select the file containing the public key (e.g., id_rsa.pub, id_ecdsa.pub);
• confirm the upload: the public key content will be automatically populated.

Option 2: Copy and Paste the SSH Key

• open the public key file on your computer using a text editor;
• copy the entire content (typically starting with ssh-rsa, ssh-ed25519, etc.);
• paste it into the SSH key field in the SeFlow panel;
• ensure there are no extra spaces or line breaks before or after the key.

Enabling Passwordless SSH Access

After uploading the SSH key, you can enable the “Passwordless SSH Access” option. This allows you to log in to the VPS using only your private key, without entering a password.

1. enable the Passwordless SSH Access checkbox;
2. ensure your SSH key has been uploaded correctly;
3. continue with the remaining steps of the wizard and complete the VPS creation.

Advantages of Using SSH Keys

• Higher security
  SSH key authentication is significantly harder to compromise compared to password-based access, especially when using long keys (2048 or 4096 bits).
• Faster login
  Once configured, you can access your Cloud VPS without typing a password each time.
• Integration with DevOps tools
  Many automation tools (Ansible, Terraform, CI/CD pipelines) rely on SSH keys for remote operations.

Accessing the Cloud VPS After Creation

Once the Cloud VPS has been created with an associated SSH key, you can connect to it using your private key. For example:

ssh -i /path/to/private_key [email protected]_vps_ip

• /path/to/private_key: the local path of your private key file (e.g., ~/.ssh/id_rsa);
• root (or another username): the VPS login user;
• public_vps_ip: the public IP assigned to your Cloud VPS.