SSH keys.

SSH keys let you securely connect to your GPU instances without a password. You need at least one SSH key on file before launching an instance.

§ 06.1Why are SSH keys required?¶

When you launch a GPU instance, your public SSH keys are injected into the instance during setup. This is the only way to authenticate — there are no passwords. The approach is more secure, eliminates credential management, and lets you connect from any machine that has the matching private key.

§ 06.2Generate a new SSH key¶

If you don't already have an SSH key, generate one with:

SHELL

ssh-keygen -t ed25519

Press Enter to accept the default file location ~/.ssh/id_ed25519. You can optionally set a passphrase for extra security.

This creates two files:

~/.ssh/id_ed25519— your private key (never share this).
~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub— your public key (this is what you add to GPU.ai).

§ 06.3Copy your public key¶

macOS

pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Linux

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Windows (PowerShell)

Get-Content ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | Set-Clipboard

§ 06.4Add the key to GPU.ai¶

Go to SSH Keys in the dashboard.
Click Add Key.
Give it a name (e.g. “work-laptop”).
Paste your public key and save.

§ 06.5Connect to an instance¶

Once your instance is running, use the SSH command shown in the instances table:

SHELL

ssh -p 10000 root@your-server-ip

The exact command (with port and host) is shown in the SSH Command column and can be copied with one click.

§ 06.6Already have an SSH key?¶

If you already use SSH (e.g. with GitHub), you likely already have a key. Check with:

SHELL

ls ~/.ssh/*.pub

If you see a file like id_ed25519.pub or id_rsa.pub, you can use that. Just copy its contents and add it to GPU.ai.