Connecting over SSH, step by step
Generate a key pair on your machine with ssh-keygen (prefer ed25519). Add the public key to the server — either during provisioning or by appending it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys for the target user. Then connect with ssh user@server-ip; for a fresh root box that is often ssh root@your.ip. Save the connection in ~/.ssh/config (Host, HostName, User, IdentityFile) so you can just run ssh myserver.
The two errors people hit most: 'Permission denied (publickey)' means the server does not have your public key for that user (or the key/permissions are wrong — the private key must be chmod 600). 'Host key verification failed' or a changed-host-key warning appears after a rebuild — remove the stale entry with ssh-keygen -R your.ip and reconnect.
When you don't need SSH at all
SSH exists so you can operate a server. If your goal is to publish a website rather than run a server, there is nothing to SSH into: SimDeploy builds locally, uploads the output and serves it with automatic TLS and a health check. You never open a terminal session to a machine, manage keys, or harden SSH. Static builds ship end-to-end today; server workloads that would need a real box are planned and fail with a typed error until then.
FAQ
How do I connect to my VPS?
Create an SSH key with ssh-keygen, add the public key to the server, then run ssh user@server-ip (saving it in ~/.ssh/config for convenience). Use the username your provider gave you — often root on a fresh server.
Why does SSH say 'Permission denied (publickey)'?
The server does not have your public key for the user you are connecting as, or your private key's permissions are wrong (it must be chmod 600). Confirm the key is in the user's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys and that you are using the right username.
Do I need SSH to deploy a website?
Only if you are operating your own server. With SimDeploy you deploy with one command (simdeploy deploy --yes) and never connect to a machine — there is no server for you to SSH into.