Connect to your HIP server: SSH from Windows and the web console // HIP-HOSTING

Where to find your login details in the panel, two ways to connect over SSH from Windows, and how to reach the server through the web console when SSH does not answer.

When your server is ready, the panel gives you three things: an IP address, the login root, and a password. That is all you need to reach the server over SSH from any computer. This guide shows where those details live in the panel, how to connect from Windows two ways (PuTTY and the built-in client), what to do on your very first login, and how to get onto the server through the web console when SSH goes silent.

In short. Login details are on the server page, in the Connection block. Windows 10 and 11 ship with SSH built in: open a terminal and run ssh root@YOUR_IP. If you cannot connect but the server is running, open the Console tab in the panel - that is a direct line to the server's screen, independent of the network and of SSH.

What you need

A running server in the panel. To create one, see How to create a server in the HIP panel.
The IP address, login and password. The panel shows all three on the server page - nothing to download.
An SSH client. Windows 10 and 11 already have one built in. PuTTY is a fallback with a familiar window; it installs separately.

Open my.hip.hosting and pick the server on the dashboard. On the Information tab, find the Connection block. It has three numbered steps and a ready-made command for the terminal.

The Connection block on the server page in the HIP panel: IP address, root login, password and a ready-made ssh command

What is in there:

IP address - in step 2 and at the top of the page next to the server name. This is the address the server answers on from the internet.
Login - always root. That is the main Linux administrator, with full rights.
Password - in step 3, hidden behind dots. Click it to reveal and copy.
Ready-made command - the ssh root@YOUR_IP line with a copy button. Paste it into a terminal as is.

Copy the password now: on the first login the system asks for it twice, and typing a long string by hand is easy to get wrong.

2. Connecting from Windows with PuTTY

PuTTY is a small free program with an ordinary window instead of a command line. Use it if the command line feels unfamiliar.

Download PuTTY from the official site and run it. Installation is optional - putty.exe works on its own.
In Host Name (or IP address) type the server's IP. Leave Port at 22 and the radio button on SSH.
Click Open. The first time, a PuTTY Security Alert window shows the server's key fingerprint - click Accept. What that means is in the first-login section below.
In the black window a login as: line appears - type root and press Enter.
At password:, paste the password with a right-click (PuTTY pastes on click) and press Enter. The password is not shown on screen at all, not even as dots - that is normal, just type and press Enter.

After login you see a prompt like root@hiplet-…:~#. You are on the server.

3. Connecting from Windows without PuTTY: terminal or PowerShell

Windows 10 and 11 have an SSH client built in, nothing to install. Open Terminal, PowerShell or Command Prompt (Win+R, type cmd) and run:

ssh root@YOUR_IP

Replace YOUR_IP with the server's address, for example ssh [email protected]. Press Enter.

The first time, the client asks:

The authenticity of host '...' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:...
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type yes and press Enter. Then root@YOUR_IP's password: appears - type the password (it is not echoed) and press Enter. Done, you are on the server.

About the key fingerprint. On the very first connection the client shows a fingerprint - a short imprint of the server's key - and asks whether you trust it. This is how the client checks you are reaching your own server and not someone else's at the same address. Agree once and the client remembers the key; later logins skip the question. If the client later warns that the server key has changed, that is expected after an OS reinstall and unexpected otherwise (see the errors section).

Change the root password. The password from the panel is random, but it sits in your client area. A good habit is to change it to your own right after the first login. On the server that is one command:

passwd

The system asks for the new password twice (not echoed). Make it long - 16 characters or more, ideally random from a password manager.

The panel also has a Change password button - it generates a new root password immediately and shows it in a dialog. Note: the old password stops working at that moment, while active SSH sessions stay connected. The panel button is handy when the password is lost and you cannot log in; if you already have access, passwd is simpler.

The next step after changing the password is basic server hardening (keys instead of a password, no root login, a firewall). That is a separate guide: Secure a fresh VPS.

5. When SSH does not answer: the emergency web console

The web console is a direct connection to the server's screen through the panel, bypassing the network and SSH. It works even when SSH is unreachable: a broken firewall, the network down, the ssh service not started, or a wrong rule that locked you out. It is essentially a monitor and keyboard wired straight to the server.

Open the server page and the Console tab.

The Console tab in the HIP panel: emergency access to the server screen with a login prompt when SSH is unavailable

How to use it:

Click inside the black area so it accepts keyboard input.
At hiplet-… login: type root and press Enter.
At Password: type the password. As over SSH, the characters are not shown.
The login and password are in the console header - USER and PASS; the password reveals on click.

The Ctrl+Alt+Del button in the top-right reboots the server - the same as pressing Reset on the case. The console is the place to fix whatever cut off your SSH: remove or correct a firewall rule (ufw disable), restart networking, put /etc/ssh/sshd_config back. Once SSH is working again, go back to the normal way in.

The web console does not replace SSH for daily work: you cannot paste text with the usual shortcut, there is no scrollback, and no file transfer. It is an emergency-access tool.

Common errors and what they mean

Connection refused. The server is reachable, but nothing answers on port 22 - the ssh service is not running or the firewall blocks the port. Get in through the web console and check: systemctl status ssh and ufw status.
Connection timed out. No answer at all. The server is off, rebooting, or the firewall drops all traffic. Check the server status on the Information tab and power it on from the Power tab if needed.
Permission denied (publickey,password). The server is reachable but will not let you in: wrong password, or password login is disabled on the server. Check the password in the panel; if password login is off, use your SSH key or the web console.
WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED. The server key did not match the remembered one. Fine if you have just reinstalled the OS - drop the old entry with the command from the hint (ssh-keygen -R YOUR_IP) and reconnect. If you did not touch the OS, do not type the password and find out why the key changed.
The PuTTY window closes instantly. Usually a wrong IP or port. Check the address; the port must be 22 and the mode SSH.