Knowledgebase

SSH key authentication lets you log in to your seedbox without typing a password each time, and is more secure than password-based logins. This guide covers setup on Linux/macOS and Windows.

If you have not connected via SSH before, see How to connect via SSH first.

Linux and macOS

Step 1: Generate a key pair

Open a terminal and run:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "seedbox"

Accept the default file location (~/.ssh/id_ed25519) or enter a custom path. Set a passphrase for extra security, or leave it blank for fully passwordless logins.

Step 2: Copy your public key to the server

Replace username and SERVER with your actual seedbox username and server hostname:

ssh-copy-id username@SERVER.pulsedmedia.com

This appends your public key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server. You will be prompted for your password once.

If ssh-copy-id is not available, copy the key manually:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | ssh username@SERVER.pulsedmedia.com "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Windows

Option A: Windows OpenSSH (Windows 10 and later)

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519

The key is saved to C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub by default. Copy it to the server:

type $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub | ssh username@SERVER.pulsedmedia.com "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

Option B: PuTTY

1. Open PuTTYgen and click Generate. Move your mouse to create randomness.
2. Save the private key (.ppk file) somewhere safe.
3. Copy the text shown in the Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file box.
4. SSH into your seedbox using your password. Then paste the public key into your authorized_keys file — replace the example text below with the key you copied in step 3:
   

   mkdir -p ~/.ssh && echo "ssh-rsa AAAA...your-key-here..." >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

5. In PuTTY, go to Connection > SSH > Auth and load your .ppk file before connecting.

Verifying It Works

Connect to your seedbox:

ssh username@SERVER.pulsedmedia.com

If setup was successful, you will not be prompted for a password (or will only be asked for your key passphrase if you set one).

Troubleshooting

If key authentication is not working, the most common cause is file permissions on the server. SSH is strict about permissions on the .ssh directory and authorized_keys file.

Run these commands on your seedbox to correct permissions:

chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Other things to check:

• Make sure you copied the public key (.pub file), not the private key.
• Verify the key was appended correctly: cat ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
• Check that each key is on a single unbroken line in the file.

For a broader overview of access methods including FTP and SFTP, see the Seedbox wiki page.