SSH (Secure Shell) gives you command-line access to your hosting account, which is useful for tools such as WP-CLI, Composer and Git, or for importing large databases.
SSH on our servers uses key-based authentication on port 9284.
Step 1: Create a key pair
macOS or Linux: open Terminal and run:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519
Press Enter to accept the default location and set a passphrase when prompted. This creates a private key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519) and a public key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub).
Windows: use PuTTYgen (installed with PuTTY) or run the same command in PowerShell on Windows 10/11.
Step 2: Add the public key to cPanel
- In cPanel, open SSH Access in the Security section and click Manage SSH Keys.
- Click Import Key, give it a name and paste in the contents of your .pub file. Leave the private key box empty.
- Click Import, go back, then click Manage next to the key and choose Authorize.
Step 3: Connect
ssh -p 9284 cpanelusername@your-server-hostname
On Windows with PuTTY, enter the hostname and port 9284, then load your private key under Connection › SSH › Auth.
Never share your private key. If SSH access isn't enabled on your package, raise a ticket.
