SSH AWS from Windows 11
### 1. **Install OpenSSH (if not already installed)**
Windows 11 has OpenSSH client installed by default. However, if it's not installed, you can add it:
– Open **Settings**.
– Go to **Apps** > **Optional Features**.
– Scroll down and look for **OpenSSH Client**. If it's not listed, click **Add a feature** and search for **OpenSSH Client** to install it.
### 2. **Download Your PEM Key**
When you created your EC2 instance, you would have downloaded a `.pem` key file (Private Key) from AWS. Keep this file in a safe location, as you'll need it to SSH into the instance.
### 3. **Convert PEM to PPK (if using PuTTY)**
If you're using PuTTY, you need to convert your `.pem` file to `.ppk` format:
– Download **PuTTYgen** from the [PuTTY website](https://www.putty.org/).
– Open **PuTTYgen** and click **Load**.
– Change the file filter to show all files (`*.*`), then open your `.pem` file.
– After loading the file, click **Save private key** and choose a location to save the `.ppk` file.
### 4. **SSH Using Windows Command Line (with OpenSSH)**
If you're using the native OpenSSH client:
– Open **Command Prompt** or **PowerShell**.
– Use the following command to SSH into your instance:
ssh -i "C:pathtoyour-key.pem" ec2-user@your-ec2-public-ip– Replace `C:pathtoyour-key.pem` with the full path to your `.pem` file.
– Replace `ec2-user` with the correct user for your instance type (e.g., `ubuntu` for Ubuntu instances).
– Replace `your-ec2-public-ip` with the public IP address or DNS of your EC2 instance.
**Example:**
ssh -i "C:UsersYourUsernameDownloadsmy-key.pem" ec2-user@34.201.23.78### 5. **SSH Using PuTTY (if using PPK)**
If you are using PuTTY with the `.ppk` file:
– Open **PuTTY**.
– In the **Host Name (or IP address)** field, enter the public IP of your EC2 instance.
– In the **Connection type**, select **SSH**.
– In the left sidebar, go to **Connection** > **SSH** > **Auth**.
– Browse to and select the `.ppk` file you converted earlier.
– Click **Open** to start the connection. If prompted, accept the server's fingerprint.
– You will now be connected to the EC2 instance.
### 6. **Additional Tips**
– Make sure your EC2 instance’s **Security Group** allows inbound SSH traffic on port 22.
– If you are connecting for the first time, you might be prompted to accept the instance's fingerprint. Type "yes" to proceed.
### 1. **Check the Private Key File Permissions**
Make sure that the permissions of your private key file are correctly set. The key file should not be publicly readable. If you are using the OpenSSH client (Command Prompt or PowerShell), you can set the correct permissions by running:
chmod 400 C:pathtoyour-key.pemThis will ensure the key is only readable by you.
### 2. **Check the Username**
Ensure that you're using the correct username for your EC2 instance:
– For Amazon Linux, use `ec2-user`.
– For Ubuntu, use `ubuntu`.
– For other distributions, refer to the official AWS documentation for the correct username.
If you're using an Ubuntu instance, the command should look like:
ssh -i "C:pathtoyour-key.pem" ubuntu@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 3. **Verify the Key Pair**
Make sure you're using the correct `.pem` file for the instance. If you've created a new key pair after launching the instance, you cannot use the old key to connect. You would need to download the new `.pem` key file and use that.
### 4. **Security Group Settings**
Ensure that the Security Group associated with the EC2 instance allows inbound SSH traffic (port 22) from your IP address. You can check and update this in the AWS Management Console under **EC2 > Security Groups**.
### 5. **Key Pair Association**
Make sure that the EC2 instance is actually using the correct key pair:
– When launching the instance, you select the key pair that was used to generate the `.pem` file.
– If the key pair has changed after instance creation, you need to associate the new key with the instance, which requires modifying the instance's configuration (e.g., using EC2 Instance Connect or attaching a new key pair).
### 6. **Check Instance Logs**
If you're still unable to connect, check the instance's **System Log** in the AWS Management Console for any potential issues related to SSH or key access. Sometimes, the instance might have issues with key validation during boot.
### 7. **Recreate the Key Pair (if necessary)**
If none of the above steps work, and you suspect the key pair might be the issue, you could:
– Stop the EC2 instance (don't terminate it).
– Detach the root volume (EBS) from the instance.
– Attach the volume to another instance.
– Access the file system, update the `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` file for the correct user with a valid public key, and reattach the volume back to the original instance.
Once these steps are followed, try to reconnect again with the correct key and username.
### 1. **Amazon Linux (Amazon Linux 2)**
– **Username**: `ec2-user`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 2. **Ubuntu**
– **Username**: `ubuntu`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" ubuntu@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 3. **RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux)**
– **Username**: `ec2-user`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 4. **CentOS**
– **Username**: `centos`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" centos@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 5. **Debian**
– **Username**: `admin`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" admin@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 6. **SUSE Linux**
– **Username**: `ec2-user` or `root`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 7. **Fedora**
– **Username**: `ec2-user`
– Example SSH command:
ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@ec2-13-53-193-53.eu-north-1.compute.amazonaws.com### 8. **Windows (for EC2 Windows instances)**
– **Username**: `Administrator`
– You'll typically use RDP to connect to Windows instances, but you can use the **EC2Config** or **EC2Launch** tool to get the password if needed.
### How to Find the Username in AWS Console:
If you're not sure which distribution your instance is using, you can check the AMI (Amazon Machine Image) from which the instance was launched:
1. Go to the **EC2 Dashboard** in the AWS Management Console.
2. Find your instance and click on it.
3. Look at the **AMI ID** under the **Description** tab.
4. Based on the AMI, you can determine the default username by checking AWS documentation for the specific OS.
In general, these usernames work unless you have made custom changes during setup.