How to Connect to a Linux Server Using an SSH Key in PuTTY

Objective

Connect to a Linux server using an SSH key and the PuTTY client in order to manage the server and install any required software.

Environment

To complete this procedure, you will need a computer running Windows.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure that:

• Your computer has an active internet connection.

• You know the IP address of your server (provided by your hosting provider).

• PuTTY is installed on your computer. If it is not installed, download and install it from the developer’s website.

• You have already created an SSH key and uploaded it to your Linux server (see the article How to Create an SSH Key Using the Windows OpenSSH Client and Upload It to a Linux Server).

Procedure

1. Launch PuTTY on your computer.
2. In the Host Name (or IP address) field, enter your server’s IP address.
3. Make sure the Port field is set correctly (usually 22):
   
   
   
4. In the left-hand tree, navigate to: Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials:
   
   
   
5. In the Private key file for authentication field, click Browse and select the private key file (filename.ppk) that you created earlier.
6. Return to the Session section and, if desired, save the session settings.
7. Click Open to start the connection.
8. If prompted, enter your Key passphrase (only if you set one when creating the SSH key).
9. Wait for the connection to complete. This may take a few seconds.

Done!

After a successful connection, you will be logged in to the server and can begin managing it.