Using SSH

Like other Linux distributions, StartOS allow you to go "under-the-hood" via Secure Shell Protocol (SSH).

Instructions

1. Open a terminal on your client device and enter:

   ssh start9@SERVER-HOSTNAME
   

   Replace SERVER-HOSTNAME with your server's adjective-noun.local address URL.

2. Enter your StartOS master password.

3. The first time you connect, you will see something like this:

   The authenticity of host 'adjective-noun.local (192.168.1.175)' can't be established.
   
   ED25519 key fingerprint is SHA256:BgYhzyIDbshm3annI1cfySd8C4/lh6Gfk2Oi3FdIVAa.
   
   This key is not known by any other names.
   
   Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?
   

   Type "yes" and hit Enter to start trusting the server's SSH public key.

   Note

   If you get a scary looking warning that says something like

   WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!
   

   Fear not! This is most likely happening because you have recently re-flashed your server, which causes a change in the key for your device's hostname. The solution is to delete the existing entry from your known_hosts file, which is typically located at ~/.ssh/known_hosts. This will be specified in the warning, along with a helpful line number (in case your file is lengthy).

Connecting via PuTTY on Windows

For Windows, following the command above will work. But if you prefer a GUI tool, BrewsBitcoin has created a guide for connecting via SSH using PuTTY on Windows

Adding SSH Keys

1. Follow the guide above to first access your server via SSH using your StartOS master password.

2. Add your key with the following command:

   start-cli ssh add <key>
   

   Replaceing <key> with quotation marks "" surrounding your copied key.

   For example:

   start-cli ssh add "ssh-ed25519 5T4RT95T4RT95T4RT95T4RT95T4RT9 user@clienthost"
   

3. Confirm the key was added correctly with:

   start-cli ssh list
   

   Tip

   This will show the added keys' fingerprints. You'll need the fingerprint if you want to remove an SSH key with:

   start-cli ssh remove 00:11:22:33:44:55:66:77:88:99:aa:bb:cc:dd:ee:ff

4. Type exit and hit enter to leave the current session. Next time you connect via SSH, your key will be used instead of providng your master password.