Using SSH and creating SSH key pairs

Below are instructions for different platforms how to connect with SSH to you instances.

Different Linux distributions use different default user names to connect the first time. Below is a list of which to use for which distribution:

Windows Using PuTTY

Download and install PuTTY from its official site.
Open PuTTY and in the Host Name (or IP address) field, enter the server's IP address.
Set the Port to `22` and the Connection type to SSH.
Click Open. On the terminal window, log in with your username and password.
For SSH key authentication, generate a key with PuTTYgen. Copy the public key to the Linux server (into `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`).
In PuTTY, go to Connection > SSH > Auth, click Browse and choose your private key file.
Connect as before; PuTTY will use the provided key to authenticate.

ssh username@server_ip

Replace `username` and `server_ip` with your remote username and IP address.
You will be prompted for your password, or, if your SSH key is set up, authentication will proceed automatically.

Replace `username` and `server_ip` accordingly.
By default, most Linux distributions have SSH pre-installed. If not, install it with:
```
sudo apt-get install openssh-client
```
Authentication works with password or SSH key, depending on configuration.

Generate a new key pair with:

 ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

Press Enter to accept the default file location.
Enter a secure passphrase if you wish; otherwise, press Enter for no passphrase.
Your key pair will be stored in `~/.ssh/id_rsa` (private) and `~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub` (public).

 ssh-keygen

For PuTTY: Run PuTTYgen, click Generate, follow prompts, and save your public and private keys. Add the public key to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` on the server.
After generation, copy the contents of your `.pub` (public) key onto the remote machine’s `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` file for key-based authentication on all platforms.