SSH access for developers and AI tools
A secure command line for your own website, using a key instead of a password. Off until you switch it on.
SSH gives you a command line on your website. Developers use it to run commands like WP-CLI, Composer and Git, and AI coding tools often ask for it. It is off until you switch it on.
What you get
A shell that sees your own website's files and nothing else on the server. It has PHP (the same version as your website), WP-CLI, Composer, Git, Node and npm, the MariaDB client and the usual tools for working with files.
How to switch it on
- Open Tools in your control panel and choose the SSH access tab.
- Add your public key. If you do not have one, the page shows how to make one. In short, run
ssh-keygen -t ed25519in a terminal, then paste the single line from the file ending in.pub. - Switch SSH access on.
- Connect with the details shown on the page, for example:
ssh your-username@yourdomain.com
How it keeps your website safe
- Keys only. There is no SSH password to guess or leak.
- Strong keys only. Modern ed25519 keys, ECDSA keys, and RSA keys of 3072 bits or more are accepted. Older, weaker ones are refused.
- Your files only. You cannot see other customers' websites or the server's own data.
- Limits. Your sessions have memory, CPU and time limits, and end after 30 minutes with nothing happening.
- Switched off if your website is paused, for example for an unpaid invoice or malware.
- No tunnels. Port forwarding is turned off.
- A record. The page lists your recent SSH logins. If you see one you do not recognise, remove the key at once and tell us.
Warning. Never share or upload your private key (the file without .pub). Give a tool only your public key. If a laptop with your key is lost or stolen, remove that key here straight away.
SFTP while SSH is on
When SSH is switched on, SFTP also uses your key instead of its separate password, and works inside the same restricted view. Programs such as FileZilla and Cyberduck can use a key file. Switch SSH off to go back to the SFTP password.
Using it with AI coding tools
Give the tool the host, your username and your private key file on your own computer. The tool connects from your machine. Treat the key like a password, and remove it from the page when you finish with it.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Permission denied (publickey) | Check the key on the page matches the one your computer is using (compare the fingerprint with ssh-keygen -lf yourkey.pub) and that SSH is switched on |
| Permission denied (password) | SSH is off, or the website is paused. Switch it on, or check the website's status |
| A command you expect is missing | The shell has the common tools only. Ask us if you need another |
| Disconnected after a while | Idle sessions end after 30 minutes |