Connect over SSH
Mac and Linux Terminal, Windows PowerShell and PuTTY, SSH keys, and the browser console fallback.
On this page
Every server is reached at its public hostname and SSH port, both shown on the server's Overview under Servers. The Overview also gives the full command and the root password. On a server with an app, open For developers: connect with SSH there to see them. On a shared IPv4 (KVM 1, KVM 2 and custom sizes), SSH is the first port of your 20-port block, so it is never 22. Always connect to the hostname. The private 10.10.10.x address is not reachable from the internet.
ssh -p <ssh-port> root@vmN.box.scalemaxcloud.com
Mac and Linux
Open Terminal and paste the command from the server's Overview. The first time, SSH shows the server's fingerprint and asks to continue: type yes. Then paste the root password. Nothing appears while you type a password; that is normal.
Windows: PowerShell
Windows 10 and 11 include an SSH client. Open PowerShell and paste the same command.
ssh -p <ssh-port> root@vmN.box.scalemaxcloud.com
Windows: PuTTY
In PuTTY, set Host Name to your server's hostname (vmN.box.scalemaxcloud.com), Port to the SSH port from the server's Overview, and Connection type to SSH. Click Open, accept the fingerprint, and log in as root.
First login
Change the root password before anything else. The Getting started guide covers the rest of the first session.
passwd
Log in with an SSH key
A key is safer than a password and saves typing. Create one on your own computer. On Windows, run the same command in PowerShell.
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
Copy the public key to the server. From Mac or Linux:
ssh-copy-id -p <ssh-port> root@vmN.box.scalemaxcloud.com
From Windows PowerShell:
type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | ssh -p <ssh-port> root@vmN.box.scalemaxcloud.com "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"
You can also paste the public key (the .pub file) into Settings → Rescue → SSH keys in the server menu. That works even when you cannot log in. Once a key works, you can turn off password login. Test a new key session before you close the old one.
echo 'PasswordAuthentication no' > /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/00-no-password.conf systemctl reload ssh
If SSH does not connect
Check that the server shows as running and that you used the hostname and the port from the server's Overview. The browser console, under Terminal in the server menu, gives you a root shell without SSH on every server, and the AI agent box image also has the web terminal, so you can fix a broken SSH setup from there. If you are locked out entirely, Settings → Rescue in the server menu sets a new root password or adds a key from outside the guest.