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Secure Authentication with SSH Keys

Every time you log into a server with a password, that password travels over the network. SSH keys eliminate this risk entirely by using a pair of cryptographic files to prove your identity instead. Think of it like a key and a lock. You keep the key (your private key) on your computer. You put the lock (your public key) on your server. When you connect, the server checks whether your key fits its lock. If it does, you are in — no password needed, nothing sent over the wire that could be intercepted. The FREAKHOSTING VPS Control Panel lets you store up to 50 public keys on your account and inject them into any server during the build process. That means passwordless login from the moment your server is ready.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Time

5 Minutes

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Viewing Your SSH Keys

1

Navigate to SSH Keys

Click on SSH Keys in the top navigation bar of the control panel.
2

Review Your Keys

The SSH Keys page shows a heading like “0 slots used, 50 remaining” along with a list of all your stored public keys. Each account can hold up to 50 SSH keys — more than enough for separate keys on your work laptop, home desktop, tablet, and any CI/CD pipelines you run.If you have not added any keys yet, you will see a “No SSH Keys found” message with an Add Key button ready to go.

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Generating an SSH Key on Your Computer

If you do not have an SSH key yet, here is how to create one on your local machine. We recommend generating keys locally rather than in the panel, because it means your private key never leaves your computer.
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
When prompted:
  • File location: Press Enter to accept the default (C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519)
  • Passphrase: Type a passphrase for extra security (recommended) or press Enter for none
Your key pair is created. The public key is at:
C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub
Copy the public key to your clipboard:
Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard
Why Ed25519? It is the modern standard — shorter keys, faster authentication, and stronger security than the older RSA format. If your system does not support Ed25519 (very rare), fall back to ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 instead.

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Adding Your SSH Key to the Control Panel

Now that you have a public key on your clipboard, upload it to FREAKHOSTING:
1

Click Add Key

On the SSH Keys page, click the blue Add Key button.
2

Enter a Name

Type a descriptive Name for your key so you can identify it later — something like “Work Laptop” or “Home Desktop.” You can also click Random Name? to auto-generate a name if you prefer.
3

Paste Your Public Key

In the Public Key field, paste the contents of your public key file. It should look something like:
ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAA... your-email@example.com
or if you are using RSA:
ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAA... user@hostname
Important: Make sure you paste the public key (the .pub file), not the private key. The private key should never be uploaded anywhere.
4

Save the Key

Click the Save button. Your key now appears in the list, and the slot counter updates (for example, “1 slots used, 49 remaining”).

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Generating a Key Pair in the Control Panel

If you prefer not to use the command line, the control panel can generate a key pair for you:
1

Click Add Key

On the SSH Keys page, click the Add Key button.
2

Enter a Name

Type a name for your new key or click Random Name? to auto-generate one.
3

Generate the Key Pair

Click the Generate Key Pair button. The system will create a new 2048-bit RSA key pair.
4

Download Your Private Key Immediately

A dialog will appear containing your private key. Download and save this right now — it is only displayed once and cannot be recovered later.Save it to a secure location on your computer:
  • macOS / Linux: ~/.ssh/ directory
  • Windows: C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\ directory
Set the correct permissions (macOS/Linux):
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/your_downloaded_key
5

Confirm

The public key portion is automatically saved to your account. Click Save to finish.

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Using SSH Keys with Your VPS

SSH keys stored in the control panel can be selected during the VPS build (or rebuild) process. When you build or rebuild a server, you will see an option to inject one or more of your stored SSH keys. This enables passwordless SSH login from the moment your server finishes building.
Connect using the private key:
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
Tip: Add this to your ~/.ssh/config to avoid typing the key path every time:
Host myserver
    HostName YOUR_SERVER_IP
    User root
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Then simply run: ssh myserver

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Removing an SSH Key

To remove a stored SSH key from your account, locate the key in your SSH Keys list and click the Delete button next to it. Important to understand: Removing a key from the control panel does not remove it from servers where it has already been installed. It only prevents the key from being injected into future builds. If you want to revoke access to an existing server, you will need to manually remove the key from the server’s ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file as well.

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Understanding the 50-Key Limit

Your account can store up to 50 SSH keys. This limit is per account, not per server. In practice, 50 slots is generous — you might use a handful for your personal devices and a few more for CI/CD systems or deployment scripts. If you find yourself approaching the limit, remove old keys from devices you no longer use.
An SSH key pair has two parts. The public key is like a lock — you put it on every server you want to access. The private key is the only key that opens that lock, and it stays on your computer. When you connect, the server tests whether your private key matches the public key it has on file. If it does, you are authenticated — no password involved. The private key never leaves your machine during this process.
Yes, and this is the most common approach. You use one key pair across all your servers, so you only need to manage a single private key on your device. Each server simply gets a copy of your public key.
The control panel generates RSA 2048-bit keys when you use the built-in generator. When uploading your own keys, RSA, Ed25519, and ECDSA key types are all supported. We recommend Ed25519 for new keys — it is faster, more secure, and produces shorter keys.
Yes, adding a passphrase is recommended. A passphrase encrypts your private key file so that even if someone copies it from your computer, they cannot use it without knowing the passphrase. It is a second layer of defense, just like 2FA for your passwords.

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Need Extra Help?

If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist:

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Last Updated: March 2026 | VPS Support: SSH key management simplified.