Webspace Documentation

SSH & SFTP Access for Webspaces

Each webspace ships with a single Linux user that you can log in to over SSH and SFTP. Unlike a VPS you do not get root access — your shell and SFTP session are confined (chrooted) to your webspace directory, and login is public-key only.

Connection Details

Open your webspace in the dashboard, click Connect → SSH Keys to open the SSH page. The Connection card shows everything you need:

Field Value
Host ${subdomain}.site.quest (or the cluster host shown in the panel)
Username the webspace subdomain
Port 22
SSH command ssh ${subdomain}@${host}
SFTP command sftp ${subdomain}@${host}

Click any field to copy it.

~/.ssh/config Snippet

The page also generates a ready-to-paste OpenSSH config block:

Host my-webspace
    HostName web1.site.quest
    User mywebspace
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

After adding it to ~/.ssh/config, you can connect with ssh my-webspace.

Adding an SSH Key

Webspace login is key-only — there is no password fallback.

  1. Generate a key pair locally if you don't have one:
    ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "me@mylaptop"
  2. Open the SSH Keys page in the dashboard.
  3. In the SSH Keys section, click Upload.
  4. Paste the contents of ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub (a single line beginning with ssh-ed25519 … or ssh-rsa …).
  5. Optionally add a comment so you can recognize the key later.
  6. Click Upload Key.

Supported algorithms: ssh-ed25519, ssh-rsa (≥ 2048-bit), ecdsa-sha2-*.

The key is appended to your webspace's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file. Multiple keys can be uploaded — a typical setup is one key per device.

Removing a Key

In the SSH Keys list, click a key, then hold the delete button. The key is removed from authorized_keys immediately. If you remove your last key, you will be locked out until you upload a new one — there is no password fallback. (You can always upload a new key from the dashboard.)

What You Can Do Over SSH

Your shell drops you into your webspace home directory (jailed). From there you can:

  • Browse and edit files inside the webroot (htdocs/ or similar).
  • Run PHP / composer / git / mysql against your webspace's database.
  • Upload and download files via scp or sftp.

You cannot:

  • Become root.
  • See files outside your webspace.
  • Bind to privileged ports.
  • Run long-lived background services (resource limits apply).

Heavy or long-running tasks should be run on a VPS instead.

SFTP from a GUI Client

Any SFTP client (FileZilla, Cyberduck, WinSCP, Transmit, …) works:

  • Protocol: SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)
  • Host: as shown in the dashboard
  • Port: 22
  • User: your webspace subdomain
  • Authentication: Public key (point the client at your private key file)

Common Issues

Permission denied (publickey) — Your local public key isn't in the webspace's authorized_keys yet, or you're pointing your client at the wrong private key file. Re-upload the matching .pub from the dashboard.

Connection refused — Check the host and port shown in the dashboard. The webspace may be suspended (e.g. unpaid invoice) — see Billing in the sidebar.

Cannot cd .. out of my home — That's the jail working as intended. All access is contained in your webspace directory.

API & Automation

If you want to manage SSH keys programmatically, see the Webspaces API — endpoints GET/POST /api/v1/webspaces/:id/ssh-keys and DELETE /api/v1/webspaces/:id/ssh-keys/:keyId.