> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.symplax.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SSH keys

> How Symplax uses SSH keys to reach your servers, and how to manage the keys on your account.

![](https://mintcdn.com/symplax/Ze_dk1wGN74zOB0C/images/buddy-ssh-key.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=Ze_dk1wGN74zOB0C\&q=85\&s=867818712a5bd975ef05fafdeda0f50c)

Symplax talks to your servers over SSH: to install and update the agent, to stream logs, and to open the [console](https://docs.symplax.com/servers/console.md). This page explains which keys it uses and what the **SSH Keys** list in your settings does.

## Your managed key

The first time you [connect a server](https://docs.symplax.com/servers/connect.md) with a password, Symplax creates an SSH key pair for your account called **Symplax Default Key**. It then:

1. Adds the public key to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` for the SSH user you connected with.
2. Stores the private key encrypted, and uses it for that server from then on.

Every later server you connect with a password gets the same key. In lists, it is marked **Symplax Managed** or **MANAGED**.

Symplax always tries the key before the password. That matters because Fail2Ban, which Symplax installs, bans addresses after repeated failed logins. Trying an out-of-date password first would count against Symplax.

> [!TIP]
>
> Once you have a managed key, you can connect new servers without a password. Copy the managed key's public key from **Settings** > **SSH Keys**, add it to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` on the new server, then connect with **SSH Key** and pick **Symplax Default Key**. The connect form selects it for you by default.

## Connecting with your own private key

On the connect form, choose **SSH Key**, then pick **Paste a custom private key...** and paste the private key, including the `BEGIN` and `END` lines. Symplax stores it encrypted for that server only. It isn't added to your account's key list.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Paste the private key, not the `.pub` file. The public key alone can't log in.

## Keys in your settings

Go to **Settings** > **SSH Keys** to see the keys on your account. Each shows its type, a shortened fingerprint and the date it was added. You can also see and add keys from a server's **Settings** tab, under **Connection Details**.

### Add a public key

**1. Open the form**

Click **Add New Key**.

**2. Fill it in**

Enter a **Key Name** such as `MacBook-Work`, and paste your **Public Key**, for example the contents of `~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub`.

**3. Save**

Click **Add Key**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> Adding a public key here saves it to your account. Symplax doesn't copy it to your servers. To log in with that key yourself, add it to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` on each server, for example from the [console](https://docs.symplax.com/servers/console.md):
>
> ```bash theme={null}
> echo "ssh-ed25519 AAAA... you@laptop" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
> ```

A key you add this way has no private half stored in Symplax, so you can't pick it on the connect form to log in.

### Remove a key

Click the trash icon next to a key and confirm.

Removing a key deletes it from your Symplax account only. It stays in `authorized_keys` on any server it was added to. To revoke access, delete that line from `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` on each server.

Servers already connected keep working after you remove the managed key, because each one has its own stored copy. The next server you connect with a password gets a new managed key.

## Servers you bought

A [Symplax-provisioned server](https://docs.symplax.com/servers/buy-a-server.md) gets its own key, created for that server when it is set up. You log in yourself as `root` with the password you chose when buying it, or add your public key to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` as above.

## Security

* Private keys are encrypted at rest and never returned by the API or shown in the dashboard.
* Removing the key Symplax uses from a server's `authorized_keys` cuts Symplax's SSH access to it. The console and anything else that needs SSH stop working until Symplax can log in again.


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