bithost uses SSH key authentication by default on all new servers. You need to add your public key to your account before deploying - it gets injected into the server at creation time and cannot be added after the fact without console access.
What are SSH keys?
SSH keys come in pairs: a private key (stays on your machine, never share it) and a public key (safe to share - you give this to bithost). When you connect to a server, the server checks your private key against the stored public key. If they match, you're in - no password needed.
The recommended algorithm today is Ed25519 - it's faster and more secure than the older RSA.
1. Generate a key pair
Open your terminal and run:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
You'll be prompted for a file location (press Enter to accept the
default ~/.ssh/id_ed25519) and an optional passphrase. Using a
passphrase adds another layer of security - recommended.
This creates two files:
~/.ssh/id_ed25519- your private key (keep this safe)~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub- your public key (this is what you share)
View your public key:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
It will look like: ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAI...
[email protected]
2. Add your public key to bithost
Log in to dashboard.bithost.io,
then go to Settings → SSH Keys and click Add SSH Key. Paste your
public key (the full output of cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub) and give it
a name.
You can add multiple keys - for example, one for your laptop and one for your desktop.
3. Deploy a server and connect
When creating a new server, select your SSH key from the dropdown. Once the server is ready:
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
If you used a passphrase, you'll be prompted for it. You should be connected as root without entering a server password.
Managing multiple keys
If you have several keys, use ~/.ssh/config to manage them:
Host myserver
HostName 1.2.3.4
User root
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Then connect with just: ssh myserver
Windows setup
On Windows, use Windows Terminal or PowerShell - ssh-keygen is built
in since Windows 10. The commands are identical. Your keys are stored in
C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\. Alternatively, use PuTTY with PuTTYgen to
generate keys in PPK format, or convert them to OpenSSH format.
See also: Connect to your server via SSH for a full walkthrough including troubleshooting.
Questions? Email us at [email protected] - we reply in under 2 hours, 7 days a week.