A password of 12 or more
The template refuses anything shorter, because the SSH port faces the internet.
OpenSSH 10.3p1 DevOps
Free credit available Limited time
Docker SSH server Your own Linux user and port, without keys to the wholeย server.
Selfhost.dev runs a Docker SSH server as a one-click template: OpenSSH in its own container, with your own Linux user, sudo and port 2222, on a dedicated server we provision, secure and run. It stays separate from the server's own shell.
No Dockerfile, no compose file and no port to map by hand.
OpenSSH serverone-click template ready
- sshdOpenSSH 10.3p1
- loginyour user, never root
- sudowith your password
- port2222 or your own
- home/config, kept
European 4 GB server$0.02/hr
In one line
What is a Docker SSH server on Selfhost.dev?
What it is
OpenSSH is the standard SSH server. This template runs it in a container of its own, so you get a Linux login on its own port without access to the server underneath.
Where to start. Open the console with OpenSSH server selected
Who it is for
Developers who want a remote Linux shell for scripts and CLI tools. Also teams giving someone SSH access without handing over the whole server.
When to use it
When a laptop terminal is not enough and you would rather not build, expose and secure an SSH container yourself.
Server
OpenSSH server, without the compose file
Docker SSH server guides start from a prebuilt image or a Dockerfile, then a compose file, a port, a user and a key. Here all of it is set before you connect.
The stack, end to end
Callers
Your terminal
Edge
SSH, port 2222
Your project server
Container
OpenSSH server
Login
Your Linux user
Kept
Home under /config
Separate
The server's own shell
| A Docker SSH server by hand | Docker SSH server on Selfhost.dev |
|---|---|
| Pick an image or write a Dockerfile | OpenSSH in its own container |
| Write a compose file and publish a port | Port 2222 or one you choose, already open |
| Create a user and set its password | Your Linux user and password, set at deploy |
| Copy a public key into the container | Your public key, added at deploy |
This SSH server is separate from the project server's own shell. Deploy the stack
Sign-in
SSH keys or a password, set at deploy
The port faces the internet, so sign-in is set before the server starts: a password, an optional public key and whether the password still opens SSH.
A public key at deploy
Paste it in when you deploy. In the same form, switch password sign-in off so only the key opens SSH.
sudo keeps the password
With password sign-in off, only your key opens SSH; sudo inside the container still asks for the password.
What you need
Docker SSH server requirements
The console starts this template on a 4 GB server, the smallest server we offer, on x86 or ARM. You need a username, a password of 12 characters or more and any SSH client.
What it needs
- Server
- 4 GB, the smallest server we offer; x86 or ARM
- Login
- A Linux username (dev by default, never root) and a 12+ character password
- Port
- 2222 by default; each SSH server in a project needs its own
- Client
- Any SSH client, such as the ssh command in a terminal
Server size: 4 GB, enough for OpenSSH server. Deploy on a 4 GB server
Quickstart
Start an OpenSSH server in 3 steps
Launch, connect, get to work.
-
Launch the template
Set a username, a 12+ character password and an optional port and public key. Accept the no-mining terms. Before a first top-up, an admin approves it. The template deploys in about ten minutes.
-
Connect
Copy the ssh command the console shows and run it in any terminal. Sign in with your password or your key.
-
Get to work
Run scripts, CLI tools and long jobs; sudo takes your password. Files in your home under /config stay across restarts.
Deploy OpenSSH serverStep 1 starts in the console.
Launch OpenSSH server Billing
Docker SSH server cost
A Docker SSH server here is one server billed by the hour from prepaid credits, with no fee per user or per connection. A European 4 GB server is $0.02/hr, about $15 to $16 a month.
$0.02
/hr, about $15 to $16 a month at 730 hours
European 4 GB server, $0.02/hr Deploy OpenSSH server | Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| The OpenSSH server template | $0 |
| A second SSH server in the same project | $0, it shares the server |
| Bandwidth over SSH | $0, included in the server price |
| Optional daily backups | +20% of the server price |
| Server | RAM, cores, disk | Where | Rate | About a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
cx23 (recommended) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $15.18 |
cax11 (ARM) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $16.35 |
cpx21 | 4 GB, 3 cores, 80 GB | US | $0.12/hr | $87.75 |
cpx22 | 4 GB, 2 cores, 80 GB | Singapore | $0.10/hr | $72.56 |
cx33 (more room) | 8 GB, 4 cores, 80 GB | Europe | $0.03/hr | $23.36 |
Monthly figures assume 730 hours. The US and Singapore servers need a first top-up.
If your balance reaches zero
With a card on file or a past top-up, OpenSSH server runs for 5 more days after your balance reaches zero, then stops. Top up within 24 hours to restart it; after that it is deleted, with a 14-day copy you can restore. Welcome-credit-only servers are deleted at zero.
Price an 8 GB server for heavier jobs in the calculator, no signup.
Sandbox
Docker SSH server vs the project server's shell
Shell access to the project server itself is granted on request; it sees every service but has no sudo. This template turns that around.
| Project server shell access | OpenSSH server template | |
|---|---|---|
| You sign in as | A non-root shell user | Your own Linux user |
| sudo | No | Yes, with your password |
| What it reaches | Every service in the project | Its own container |
| How you get it | Granted on request | One click, on its own port |
Status
Five checks on every SSH server
- Every service is health-checked every 60 seconds.
- A stalled deploy is retried automatically, without you starting over.
- Never root. You sign in as your own Linux user, dev unless you choose another.
- No short passwords on an open port. Anything under 12 characters is refused.
- One port per SSH server. Each SSH server in a project gets a port of its own.
~10 min to deploy
The console estimates about ten minutes for the OpenSSH server template after the server is ready; first-time server provisioning adds time.
Notes
Docker SSH server limitations
- No web address. You reach it with an SSH client on the host and port the console shows. There is no browser terminal and no custom domain.
- Its port faces the internet. Anyone can try to connect, so use a long password or a key. For a server you keep, deploy with a key and password sign-in off.
- A sandbox, not the host. sudo works inside this container. The project server's own shell stays separate and is granted on request.
Nothing here in your way? The template deploys in about ten minutes.
Launch OpenSSH server Planning
Giving a team SSH access?
Tell us how many people need a login and what they run. We reply with a layout and its monthly cost.
Help
Frequently asked questions
How do I connect to the OpenSSH server?
The console shows the host, the port and a ready ssh command. Run it in any terminal and sign in as dev or the Linux username you chose, never root, with your password or your key. sudo takes the same password.
Can I sign in with a key instead of a password?
Yes. Paste a public key in the deploy form and switch password sign-in off in the same form, so only your key opens SSH. Both are chosen at deploy, not later in Settings. The password still exists for sudo inside the container, so keep it somewhere safe.
Is a Docker SSH server secure?
It is built to be. You sign in as your own Linux user, never root. The password must be at least 12 characters because the port faces the internet. A public key with password sign-in turned off is safer still. The container stays separate from the project server's own shell.
Can I run two SSH servers in one project?
Yes. Each OpenSSH server in a project needs a port of its own, so give the second one a port other than 2222 when you deploy it. Both share the project's server and its price. Use them for two people or two separate environments that should not share a home folder.
Does my home folder survive a restart?
Yes. Your home lives under /config, which persists across restarts, so scripts, dotfiles and anything you saved there are still in place when the container comes back. Keep a copy of anything important in a repository or another machine too, so it lives beyond this server.
Why might a new OpenSSH server wait for approval?
On an organisation that has never topped up, a platform admin approves each new OpenSSH server before it starts. Its name and port stay reserved and an email tells you the decision. After a top-up, new ones start straight away. Deleting the service withdraws the request.
Your own Linux login. Not the keys to your server.
- OpenSSH in its own container, with sudo
- Your user, password and port before the first login
- A European 4 GB server, about $15 to $16 a month
About Selfhost.dev
Selfhost.dev is a managed self hosting platform for developers and small teams. Open source apps and databases on dedicated servers you control, billed by the hour, in six locations across three continents.
Best for: A Linux login beside the editors, notebooks and VPN on the same project, plus managed PostgreSQL, MySQL and Redis.