SSH Connection Error — What to Do if You Can't Access Your VPS

SSH is the main way to manage your VPS. If you can’t connect to your server, the issue might be with the IP address, port, firewall, or authentication settings. Below are the steps to diagnose and restore access.

Check Basic Connection Settings

• Verify you're using the correct IP address and port (default is 22)
• Confirm your login method — password or SSH key
• Run ssh root@your-ip with -v for debug output
• Connection refused means the port is not listening

Check Firewall and Port Availability

• UFW, firewalld, or iptables might be blocking port 22
• Open the port manually or via VMmanager console
• Use telnet IP 22 or nmap -p 22 IP to test availability
• Check if Cloudflare or your ISP is blocking the traffic

Connect via VMmanager Console

• 1️⃣ Go to VMmanager
• 2️⃣ Select your server and open the “Console” tab
• 3️⃣ Check if SSH service is running (systemctl status ssh)
• 4️⃣ Ensure SSH is listening on the correct port (ss -tnlp | grep ssh)
• 5️⃣ If needed, edit /etc/ssh/sshd_config and restart SSH

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

• Try changing the SSH port to 2222 or 2200
• Check logs: journalctl -xe or /var/log/auth.log
• Reinstall the VPS if access cannot be restored

← Back to Troubleshooting

If you can't restore SSH access yourself, contact Bit.Hosting support. We’ll help you inspect and restore access quickly.