What you’ll need
A Hivenet account with Compute credits
Windows 10 or later
Windows Terminal (or PowerShell)
OpenSSH installed (enabled by default on Windows 10+)
Step 1 – Create your SSH key pair
Open Windows Terminal and run this command:
ssh-keygen
Press Enter to accept the default location (
C:\Users\<yourname>\.ssh\id_ed25519)When prompted, you can set a passphrase (optional but recommended)
This creates two files:
id_ed25519(your private key) — never share thisid_ed25519.pub(your public key) — you’ll upload this to Hivenet
Tip: If you see a message that the file already exists, you can overwrite it or cancel and use a new name (e.g., id_hivenet, id_rsa).
Tip: Already use a password manager? Many, including 1Password and Bitwarden, can generate and store SSH keys for you in one click. If that’s your workflow, feel free to skip the ssh-keygen command and copy the public key straight from your manager.
Step 2 – Find your key files
Your key files are located in:
C:\Users\<yourname>\.ssh\
You can open this folder in File Explorer or use PowerShell:
cd $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh explorer .
Step 3 – Add your public key to Hivenet
Open the
.pubfile in a text editor (right-click > Open with Notepad)Copy the entire contents of the file
Paste it into the SSH Key field when creating your instance on the Compute dashboard
Important: Only paste the .pub file contents. Do not paste the private key.
Step 4 – Create a basic SSH config file (optional but helpful)
In the same .ssh folder, create a new file named config (no file extension). Paste this in (make sure your SSH key name is similar to the name given):
Host hivenet
HostName <your-instance-id>.ssh.hivecompute.ai
User ubuntu
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
ProxyCommand ssh [email protected] %h
This lets you connect with:
ssh hivenet
Instead of typing the full connection string every time.
Troubleshooting
"Permission denied (publickey)" — Your public key may not be added correctly or you're using the wrong private key.
"Connection timed out" — Check your config file or try adding
-vfor more detailed output.Terminal closes too fast? Open a terminal first, then paste the command manually instead of double-clicking a script.
Still stuck? Join the community on Discord or ask us in the chat.