SSH Keys & Docker Tokens — Manage Credentials on EasyCloudify

TL;DR — Before deploying a server, generate an SSH key pair on your local machine, add the public key to EasyCloudify at /cloudpanel/keys, then select it when deploying. Docker access tokens let you deploy apps from private container registries.

What is the EasyCloudify Credentials Page?

The Credentials & Tokens page is where you manage all authentication secrets used across your infrastructure:

• SSH Keys — your public keys, stored in your account and selectable when deploying VPS servers
• Docker Access Tokens — registry credentials used by Serverless deployments to pull private container images

Access it at /cloudpanel/keys.

Part 1 — SSH Keys

What is an SSH Key?

An SSH key pair consists of two linked files:

When you connect to a server via SSH, your machine proves identity by presenting the private key, and the server verifies it against the stored public key. No password needed.

How to Generate an SSH Key

Choose your operating system below.

On Windows

Modern Windows 10/11 ships with OpenSSH. Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

You will be prompted:

Enter file in which to save the key (C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519):

Press Enter to accept the default location. Then set a passphrase (strongly recommended) or press Enter twice to skip.

Your keys are created at:

• Private key: C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519
• Public key: C:\Users\YourName\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

To print your public key (what you paste into EasyCloudify):

Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

💡 PuTTY users: If you use PuTTY on Windows, open PuTTYgen, click Generate, move your mouse to fill the progress bar, then save both keys. Use the text in the top box (starting with ssh-rsa) as your public key in EasyCloudify.

On Linux or macOS

Open a terminal and run:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

Accept the default path (~/.ssh/id_ed25519) and set a passphrase. Your keys are created at:

• Private key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
• Public key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Print your public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

The output looks like:

ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIB... [email protected]

Copy this entire line — this is what you paste into EasyCloudify.

Choosing a Key Type: RSA vs Ed25519

How to Add Your SSH Key to EasyCloudify

Step 1 — Navigate to Credentials & Tokens

In the sidebar, click Keys. You land on /cloudpanel/keys. The page opens on the SSH Keys tab.

Step 2 — Add the Public Key

1. Click Add SSH Key
2. In the Name field, enter a label (e.g. MacBook Pro, Work Laptop, Home Desktop) — this is just for your reference
3. Paste the full contents of your .pub file into the Public Key field
4. Click Save

The key is now stored in your EasyCloudify account.

💡 Tip: You can add multiple keys — one per machine you connect from. Each key gets its own name so you know which is which.

Step 3 — Select the Key During Server Deployment

SSH keys are not pushed automatically to existing servers. Each key must be selected at deployment time:

1. Go to Deploy a VPS Server
2. In the deployment form, you will see a SSH Keys selector
3. Select one or more keys to authorize on the new server
4. The selected public keys are installed into /root/.ssh/authorized_keys during provisioning

Once deployed, connect from your terminal:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

If your private key is not in the default location, specify it explicitly:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Managing Existing SSH Keys

The SSH Keys tab lists all your saved keys. Each entry shows its name and fingerprint. To remove a key, click the Delete icon on the right. Deleting a key from your account does not remove it from servers that were already deployed with it.

Part 2 — Docker Access Tokens

Docker access tokens let the Serverless deployment engine pull images from private container registries (Docker Hub private repos, GitHub Container Registry private packages, etc.).

Step 1 — Get a Token from Your Registry

Docker Hub:

1. Log in to hub.docker.com
2. Go to Account Settings → Security → New Access Token
3. Give it a name and choose Read-only scope
4. Copy the token — it is only shown once

GitHub Container Registry (GHCR):

1. Go to GitHub → Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
2. Create a token with read:packages scope
3. Copy the token

Step 2 — Add the Token to EasyCloudify

1. Go to /cloudpanel/keys and click the Docker Access Tokens tab
2. Click Add Token
3. Fill in the form:

1. Click Save

The token is now available to select when deploying a Serverless app from a Container image source.

Managing Existing Tokens

The Docker Access Tokens tab lists all saved tokens by name. Tokens can be deleted when no longer needed. Deleting a token does not affect apps already deployed with it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What SSH key types does EasyCloudify support?

EasyCloudify accepts any standard OpenSSH public key format: ssh-ed25519, ssh-rsa, and ecdsa-sha2-nistp256.

If I add a new SSH key, does it automatically apply to my existing servers?

No. SSH keys are selected at deployment time and installed during provisioning. To add a key to an existing server, connect via SSH and manually append the new public key to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys.

I lost my private key — can I recover access to my server?

EasyCloudify does not store private keys. If you lose your private key, you will need to use the server's console/rescue mode to add a new authorized key, or restore the server from a backup.

Are Docker tokens stored securely?

Yes. Docker tokens are stored encrypted and are never shown in plaintext after the initial save.

Can I use the same SSH key on multiple servers?

Yes. You can select the same key across as many server deployments as you like.

Related Guides

• Deploy a VPS Server
• Deploy a Serverless App