> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.cloud.vessl.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Connect over SSH

> Connect to each node in your VM cluster over SSH, and troubleshoot common issues.

Each node in your cluster has a dedicated public IP and accepts SSH with the representative public key your account manager registered for the cluster.

## Prerequisites

* An **Active** cluster.
* The private key matching the **representative SSH public key** your account manager registered for the cluster.

## Connect

Find each node's public IP in the cluster's **Node management** tab, then connect:

<div>
  <Frame>
    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/dora/5t6p_q3y3A1ut21q/images/vm-clusters-node-list.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=5t6p_q3y3A1ut21q&q=85&s=9d36221459882a923c0d709ec323d7a5" alt="Node management tab listing each node with its public IP and a Copy all SSH config button" width="3600" height="2086" data-path="images/vm-clusters-node-list.png" />
  </Frame>

  <small>Example: the Node management tab with per-node public IPs and Copy all SSH config</small>
</div>

```bash theme={null}
ssh -i ~/.ssh/<key> ubuntu@<node-ip>
```

You log in as `ubuntu`. To run commands as root, escalate with `sudo` (for example, `sudo -i`).

Each node has its own dedicated public IP — connect to each one separately using the IPs listed in the **Node management** tab.

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                         | Cause and fix                                                                                                                                                                        |
| ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `Permission denied (publickey)` | You're using a key that doesn't match the one registered for the cluster. Confirm your private key matches the registered public key.                                                |
| Connection timeout              | Inbound traffic to port 22 isn't allowed. Add an [inbound firewall rule](/vm-clusters/firewall-rules) with protocol `tcp` and port `22`, and set the source CIDR to include your IP. |