SSH key authentication

Introduction

SSH keys give you passwordless, key-based login. They’re managed at the account level under Security — not per machine. The flow is always:

1. Add your public key to your profile.
2. Create an instance and select that key to deploy.

Keys are installed when the instance is provisioned, so the key has to be on your profile before you create the machine. Ed25519, RSA and ECDSA are supported.

How it works & examples

1. Generate a key (if you don’t have one)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"

This creates ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 (private — keep secret) and ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub (public — safe to share).

2. Add the public key to your profile

1. Copy your public key:

   cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

2. Go to app.myremotemac.com/security and choose Add SSH key.
3. Paste the key (a name is suggested automatically — rename it if you like) and confirm with your 2FA code.
4. Optionally Set as default — your default key is pre-selected whenever you create a new instance.

Note

Adding and deleting keys is protected by two-factor authentication. You can rename a key at any time without 2FA.

3. Create an instance with the key

When you create an instance, the SSH keys step lists the keys on your profile:

• Your default key is pre-ticked — tick any additional keys you want deployed.
• You can select several keys, or none (the machine still gets a username/password).
• No keys yet? You’ll see “You don’t have any SSH keys yet” with an Add one in Security → link. Add the key first, then come back.

Add the key before creating the instance

Keys are deployed at provisioning time from the keys selected during creation. If you forgot to add or select your key, the quickest fix is to add it to an existing machine manually (below) or recreate the instance with the key selected.

4. Connect

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 your-username@YOUR-IP

Still include your username

A key replaces the password, not the username. Always connect as your-username@YOUR-IP — running ssh YOUR-IP makes SSH use your local computer’s username and the connection is refused, even with a valid key.

Add a key to an existing instance (manual)

If a machine is already running and you want to add a key without recreating it, append it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys over SSH:

# from the instance (or pipe it over SSH)
mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
echo "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... you@example.com" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

FAQ

Where do I add my SSH key?

On your profile at app.myremotemac.com/security — not per machine. Adding a key requires confirming with your 2FA code.

Do I add the key before or after creating the instance?

Before. Keys are deployed when the instance is provisioned, so the key must already be on your profile and selected during creation. Your default key is pre-selected automatically.

Can I deploy more than one key?

Yes — tick several keys in the SSH keys step when creating the instance. You can also leave it empty and use the default username/password.

I created an instance without my key. What now?

Add the key to the running machine manually by appending it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys over SSH, or recreate the instance with the key selected.

Why am I refused even with a valid key?

You almost certainly omitted your username. Always connect as ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 your-username@YOUR-IP.