Aquanode LogoAquanode Docs
Account

SSH Keys

Add and manage the SSH keys used to access your VMs. Every VM deployment requires a registered SSH key - add yours once and reuse it across instances.

SSH keys let you securely connect to the VMs you deploy. Aquanode stores your public keys and injects them into every VM at provision time, so you can ssh in without passwords.

An SSH key is required to deploy a VM

Every VM deployment must have an SSH key attached. Add at least one key here before deploying from the Marketplace - the SSH-key selector in the deploy flow reads from this list.

What you can do

  • Register one or more public SSH keys (ed25519 recommended)
  • See each key's name, fingerprint, type, and when it was added
  • Track which keys are attached to which running instances
  • Remove keys you no longer use

Add an SSH key

Generate a key pair (if you don't have one)

On your local machine:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"

This writes a private key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519) and a public key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub). Keep the private key secret - you only ever share the public one.

Add the public key to Aquanode

  1. Go to SSH Keys in your account
  2. Click + Add SSH key
  3. Optionally give it a name (e.g. Work laptop, Personal MacBook)
  4. Paste the contents of ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub into Public key
  5. Click Add key

The Add SSH key dialog, with a name field and a field to paste your public key

Public keys only

Aquanode never accepts private keys. Paste only the contents of your .pub file. Keys are stored encrypted and used solely to provision new VMs.

Connect to your VM

Once a VM is running, copy its SSH command from the deployment's detail page and connect:

ssh root@<vm-ip> -p <port>

The key you registered is already on the box, so the connection succeeds without a password.

Managing your keys

The SSH Keys page showing registered keys, attachment counts, and the default key for new VMs

From the SSH Keys page you can see:

  • Keys - how many keys you have registered
  • Attachments - how many running instances each key unlocks
  • Default for new VMs - the most recently added key, pre-selected in the deploy flow
  • Instance attachments - a breakdown of which key unlocks which VM

Deleting a key removes it from your account; it does not change VMs that are already running.

Network Volumes

Create persistent network volumes that outlive individual deployments. Attach the same storage to instances within the same provider and region.

API Keys

Create API keys for programmatic access to Aquanode - deploy and manage workloads from CI/CD pipelines and your own integrations.

On this page

What you can doAdd an SSH keyGenerate a key pair (if you don't have one)Add the public key to AquanodeConnect to your VMManaging your keys