How to connect via SSH as root with a password or key

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Updated at December 17, 2025

Case description

You need to connect via SSH as root with a password or key.

Connecting with a key

Connecting with a password

When connecting with a key, the /root/.ssh/authorized_keys file must contain only the key. Delete everything preceding the key, if any.

To connect via SSH with a password:

Create a password for root using the sudo passwd root command.
The /root/.ssh/authorized_keys file must be empty or contain only the key. If the key does not match, the file will prompt you to enter a password.
The /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/50-cloud-init.conf file must contain:
```
PasswordAuthentication yes
PermitRootLogin yes
```