What you’ll need
A Compute instance with your SSH public key uploaded
Windows 10 or later
Option A: Windows Terminal / PowerShell (OpenSSH)
Option B: PuTTY and PuTTYgen (GUI-based SSH)
Option A: OpenSSH via Windows Terminal
Step 1 – Check OpenSSH is installed
Open PowerShell and run:
ssh -V
You should see an OpenSSH version. If not, enable it:
Settings → Apps → Optional features
Add a feature → OpenSSH Client
Step 2 – Create or convert your key
If you don’t have a key yet
Open PuTTYgen and click Generate.
Move your mouse until the progress bar fills.
Click Save public key (keeps the
.pubextension).Click Save private key (you’ll get a
.ppkfile).Upload the public key in the Compute dashboard.
If you already have an OpenSSH key
In PuTTYgen click Load, pick your existing id_ed25519 (or id_rsa).
Click Save private key to export it as
.ppk.
PuTTYgen can also create a fresh key pair if you don’t have one yet.
Step 3 – Create a config entry (optional)
In C:\Users\<you>\.ssh\config, add:
Host hivenet HostName <instance-id>.ssh.hivecompute.ai User ubuntu IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ProxyCommand ssh [email protected] %h
Save, then simply:
ssh hivenet
Step 4 – Connect manually
Without a config file, run:
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ubuntu@<instance-id>.ssh.hivecompute.ai
Replace <instance-id> with your actual ID.
Troubleshooting OpenSSH
Permission denied → Wrong key or not uploaded
Connection timed out → Check internet/firewall
Unknown host → Typo in instance ID
Option B: PuTTY & PuTTYgen
Step 1 – Download and install PuTTY
Get PuTTY (includes PuTTYgen) from: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html
Step 2 – Convert your key for PuTTY
Launch PuTTYgen.
Click Load, select your private key (
id_ed25519orid_rsa).Click Save private key as a
.ppkfile.
Step 3 – Configure PuTTY session
Open PuTTY.
In Host Name, enter:
<your-instance-id>.ssh.hivecompute.ai
(replace with your ID)
Under Connection > SSH > Auth, browse to your
.ppkkey.(Optional) Save the session for reuse by entering a name under Saved Sessions and clicking Save.
Step 4 – Connect!
Click Open. When prompted, log in as:
ubuntu
Click Open. Log in as:
ubuntu
Common PuTTY pitfalls
Server unexpectedly closed connection → Wrong port or host name
No supported authentication methods available → Wrong key format
Still having trouble? Reach out via the chat widget or join us on Discord.