How to connect to your VPS for the first time (Linux Server)

What You’ll Need

Before starting, make sure you have:

• PuTTY installed – Download it here

• Your VPS login details, including:

  • IP Address (for example: 192.168.1.10)

  • Username (usually root)

  • Password

Step 1: Open PuTTY

After installing, open the PuTTY program.
You’ll see a configuration window titled “PuTTY Configuration”.

Step 2: Enter Your VPS IP Address

1. In the Host Name (or IP address) field, type your VPS IP address (e.g., 203.0.113.5)

2. Ensure the Port is set to 22

3. Check that Connection type is SSH

Example:

Step 3: (Optional) Save Your Session

To save time later:

1. Type a name under Saved Sessions (for example, “MyVPS”)

2. Click Save

You can select this saved session next time and click Load to connect instantly.

Step 4: Connect to Your VPS

Click the Open button at the bottom.
If this is your first time connecting, a security alert will appear:

“The server’s host key is not cached in the registry.”

Click Yes – this is normal and means PuTTY is saving the server’s fingerprint.

Step 5: Log In

A black terminal window will appear saying:

1. Type your username (for example, root) and press Enter

2. Type your password and press Enter

Note: When typing your password, you won’t see any characters appear – this is normal for security reasons.

Step 6: You’re In! ????

If your login details are correct, you’ll see something like:

You are now connected to your VPS and can begin managing it using Linux commands.