SSH Access | Bluehost Support

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SSH Access

Bluerock accounts come with SSH/Shell enabled by default.

How to enable SSH/Shell from cPanel

To begin, you will need to log into your Bluehost cPanel account.

Note: The Advanced tab will load your cPanel. Legacy accounts will feature a horizontal navigation bar at the top of the screen, while Bluerock account users will see a vertical navigation menu on the left-hand side of the screen. To learn more, please see Bluerock vs. Legacy.

Bluerock

  1. Click the Advanced tab from the side navigation menu to the left. 
  2. Click the SSH Access icon under the Security section.
    rock-bh-ssh-access
  3. Click the Manage SSH Keys button.
    rock-bh-manage-ssh-keys
  4. Choose either the Generate a New Key or Import Key button.
    rock-bh-new-or-import-key
  5. If you choose to click the Generate a New Key, enter all the needed information, then click the Import option. 

Legacy

  1. If you are not in the cpanel section, select the cpanel tab at the top of the account.
  2. Scroll down to security, click the SSH/Shell Access icon.
    legacy-security-ssh-shell-access
  3. Click the Manage SSH Keys button.
    rock-bh-manage-ssh-keys
  4. Choose either the Generate a New Key or Import Key button.
    rock-bh-new-or-import-key
  5. If you choose to click the Generate a New Key, enter all the needed information, then click the Generate Key button.
    rock-generate-a-new-key
  6. If you choose to click the Import Key, enter all the needed information, then click the Import button.
    rock-Import-key

Tip: You don’t have to import both keys. It is perfectly acceptable to just import a public OR private key if that is all you need on the server. For additional information on using and running SSH commands, please see this article SSH Connections and SSH Command.

Important Note: If you see the error "ERROR: Your account must be verified before shell access can be enabled. Please contact our Verification Department ( 888-401-4678 ) to verify your account before continuing." You will need to contact our Verification Team to verify your account purchase.

Reseller SSH Access

If you would like SSH access on any cPanel, simply edit or change the package on the cPanel to be set to have Shell Access enabled. The cPanel user will be able to access the Shell by the instructions listed above.

VPS and Dedicated Servers SSH Access

Dedicated and VPS customers automatically have root SSH access. Root shell allows you to change anyone and anything on your server.

If you would like to activate SSH on a sub-account (separate cPanel), simply access WHM with your root login and click the Manage Shell Access link. There you can enable normal and jailed shells for your clients; port 22 for a normal and jailed shell.

If you have multiple cPanels which need SSH, you can activate them all within root WHM.

How to use the SSH access

You would use port 22 to connect to the server via SSH and log in with username "root" and your WHM password using the directions below. If you enable shell access for individual cPanels, the SSH username and password would be the same as the cPanel username and password for those accounts.

Root SSH will allow you to access the server processes.

Connecting to your server via SSH

See the sections for each hosting type above for specifics about which port and username to use.

Windows

To access SSH:

  1. Download WinSCP or PuTTY.
  2. Enter your IP address and the appropriate port number.
  3. Log in with your cPanel username and password.

Port 22 would be used for shared and reseller accounts; 22 is the default for dedicated & VPS. Dedicated or VPS have the option of logging in with the root WHM username and password.

Linux

To connect, run the following command from a terminal:

ssh -p 22 [email protected]

Replace cpanelusr with your username and ip.add.re.ss with your IP address.

Port 22 would be used for shared and reseller accounts; 22 is the default for dedicated & VPS. Dedicated or VPS have the option of logging in with the root WHM username and password.

Mac

To open the terminal in Mac, go to Applications → Utilities → Terminal

The type in the following command:

ssh -p 2222 [email protected]

Replace cpanelusr with your username and ip.add.re.ss with your IP address.

Port 22 would be used for shared and reseller accounts; 22 is the default for dedicated & VPS. Dedicated or VPS have the option of logging in with the root WHM username and password.

If you need further assistance, feel free to contact us via Chat or Phone:

  • Chat Support - From our home page, click the Contact option in the top right-hand corner, then click Chat Now.
  • Phone Support -
    • US: 888-401-4678
    • International: +1 801-765-9400

You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.