vps

Connecting to Your VPS for the First Time

Step-by-step guide to your first SSH connection — on Mac, Windows, and Termius. What you'll see, what to do, the errors you'll likely hit, and the moment that changes how you think about servers.

Published
· 5 min read · Steven Doan ·
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Terminal showing a successful SSH connection prompt — root@hostname with a blinking cursor

The moment you SSH into a server for the first time is a small but real milestone. Your keyboard is controlling a computer in a datacenter somewhere else in the world. Commands you type execute on hardware you’ve never touched.

This article gets you to that moment — and tells you what you’re looking at when you get there.

Before You Connect — What You Need

From the Vultr dashboard, find your server and note:

  1. Server IP address — shown on the server overview page
  2. Root password — sent to your email when the server was created, or visible in the Vultr dashboard under your server details

If you already copied your SSH key to the server (Part 2.5), you won’t need the password. If not, use it for this first connection.

Vultr server overview page showing the IP address, location, and server status — with IP address highlighted
Your server IP is on the overview page in the Vultr dashboard. Copy it before opening your terminal.

Connecting — Mac and Linux

Open Terminal and run:

ssh root@your-server-ip

Replace your-server-ip with the actual IP. Example:

ssh root@45.32.100.200

First connection — fingerprint warning:

The authenticity of host '45.32.100.200 (45.32.100.200)' can't be established.
ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type yes and press Enter. This saves the server’s fingerprint to your known_hosts file. You won’t see this again for this server.

Password prompt (if using password auth):

root@45.32.100.200's password:

Type the root password. Nothing appears as you type — no dots, no asterisks. This is normal. Press Enter when done.

Success:

[root@vps-hostname ~]#

You’re in.

Connecting — Termius

  1. Open Termius and click New Host
  2. Fill in:
    • Label: Something memorable (e.g. “Vultr Main VPS”)
    • Hostname: Your server IP
    • Username: root
    • Password: Your Vultr root password (or select SSH Key if you set one up)
  3. Click Connect

Accept the fingerprint warning the same way — click “Continue” or “Trust”.

Termius new host form filled with server IP, username root, and password field — Connect button highlighted
Termius saves this connection. Next time: one click to connect, no retyping the IP.

Connecting — Windows Terminal

Open Windows Terminal and run the same command:

ssh root@your-server-ip

The process is identical to Mac. Accept the fingerprint, enter the password, see the prompt.

What You’re Looking At

After a successful connection, you’ll see something like:

Last login: Mon Jun  1 10:00:00 2026 from 1.2.3.4

[root@vps-abc123 ~]#

Breaking it down:

  • Last login — when and from where the last connection was made
  • root — you’re logged in as the root user
  • vps-abc123 — the server’s hostname (Vultr assigns a random one; you can change it)
  • ~ — you’re in the root user’s home directory
  • # — you have root (admin) privileges

The cursor blinks after the #. The server is waiting for your input.

The Failed Login Messages

On many new servers, the first time you connect you’ll see something like this just above your prompt:

Last failed login: Mon Jun  1 09:47:23 UTC 2026 from 185.220.xxx.xxx on ssh:notty
There were 47 failed login attempts since the last successful login.

Or in the auth log:

sudo tail -20 /var/log/secure
Jun  1 09:40:01 sshd[1234]: Failed password for root from 193.32.xxx.xxx port 54321 ssh2
Jun  1 09:40:03 sshd[1235]: Failed password for admin from 45.142.xxx.xxx port 12345 ssh2
Jun  1 09:40:05 sshd[1236]: Failed password for ubuntu from 198.98.xxx.xxx port 23456 ssh2

Different IPs, different usernames, continuous attempts. These are automated bots — software that scans the internet for servers accepting password authentication on port 22 and tries common credentials against them.

This is not a targeted attack on you specifically. It’s background noise on the internet that every new server receives within minutes of going online.

It’s also the clearest possible illustration of why Part 3 — changing the SSH port, disabling root password login, and setting up SSH key-only authentication — is not optional. Password auth on port 22 is an open invitation to this traffic.

Common Errors and Fixes

Connection refused

ssh: connect to host 45.32.100.200 port 22: Connection refused

Most common cause for a brand new server: it’s still provisioning. Vultr shows the server as “Running” before all services are started. Wait 60 seconds and try again. This fixes it almost every time.

If it persists: check the Vultr firewall settings — port 22 needs to be open for SSH.

Permission denied (publickey)

root@45.32.100.200: Permission denied (publickey)

If you set up SSH key authentication and get this: the key isn’t in authorized_keys on the server, or the key file permissions are wrong on your local machine. Run ssh -v root@your-ip for verbose output showing exactly where authentication fails.

Host key verification failed

WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!

The server’s fingerprint doesn’t match what’s saved. Usually happens after rebuilding the server. Fix:

ssh-keygen -R your-server-ip

Then reconnect — you’ll see the fingerprint warning again, type yes.

What Next

You’re connected. The next article covers the first things to do on a fresh server — update the system, create a non-root user, and set a hostname. These steps take about 10 minutes and prepare the server for everything in Part 3 and beyond.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'Connection refused' and how do I fix it?
Connection refused means nothing is listening on the SSH port at that IP. Most common causes: the server is still provisioning (wait 60 seconds and retry), the firewall is blocking port 22, or the SSH service isn't running. For a brand new Vultr server, waiting a minute and retrying fixes it almost every time.
Why do I see failed login attempts in the terminal after connecting?
Those are automated bots scanning for servers with weak passwords. They run continuously across the internet, trying common usernames and passwords against every IP they find. This is normal — and exactly why switching to SSH key authentication and disabling root password login (covered in Part 3) matters.
What does 'WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED' mean?
SSH has a saved fingerprint for that IP that doesn't match what the server is presenting. Usually happens after rebuilding or destroying a server and creating a new one at the same IP. Fix: run ssh-keygen -R your-server-ip to remove the old fingerprint, then reconnect.
Can I use Termius instead of Terminal for the first connection?
Yes. Create a new host in Termius with the server IP, username root, and password authentication. The process is the same — you'll see the fingerprint warning and then the shell prompt.
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