What do I need to connect to my sever?

Before you begin, find the username and IP address for your server. The easiest way how to do this is to access the Customer Control Panel, then either the  VDS control, VPS control or Server control section – depending on what type of server you've ordered. You should find the IP address in the "Server" column and the username in the "Default User" column.

This is the user name you will use to connect from your local computer to your new server. Please note that this user may have limited rights and might be unable to perform some system-related actions, such as setting up a new password, changing ports or other operations. Linux users can easily elevate their privileges by typing the “sudo” command at the beginning of each session.

Please be careful not to confuse the credentials for the Customer Control Panel with the credentials for your server. 

There are several ways to connect to your server depending on the operating system used on your local computer and the operating system used on your Contabo server. Below you'll find instructions on how to connect to your Contabo server based on the operating system of your local computer and the operating system of your Contabo server.

Table Of Contents:

• How do I connect to a Windows server using a Windows local computer?
• How do I connect to a Windows server using a Linux local computer?
• How do I connect to a Windows server using a MacOS local computer?
• How do I connect to a Linux server using a Linux local computer?
• How do I connect to a Linux server using a Windows local computer?

How do I connect to a Windows server using a Windows local computer?

1. First open the Remote Desktop Connection application.
2. On Windows 7: Navigate to the "Start icon" of the taskbar and search for "Remote Desktop Connection".
   On Windows 8/10: Navigate to the "Windows icon" of the taskbar and search for "Remote Desktop Connection".
   
   

3. When the Remote Desktop Connections opens, click on "Show Options" and then click "Local Resources".
   
   You’ll see "Local devices and resources" at the bottom of the options. Click "More" and don’t forget to check your "Drives".
   
   

4. You should now be able to connect to the IP address (e.g., "173.xxx.xxx.xxx"). Check the Customer Control Panel or the “Your Login Data!” email for the IP address.
5. On Windows 11, first make sure your Remote Desktop is allowed. To do this, go to the settings by pressing Windows+i.
6. Then click on the System button located on the left bar. Finally, enable the Remote Desktop:
   
7. Once complete, you can launch the Remote Desktop application.

How do I connect to a Windows server using a Linux local computer?

1. To connect from your Linux server to Windows Remote Desktop, you must fist install an RDP client.
   
   The command-line based rdesktop is available for most Linux distributions and can be installed using either package manager or via Terminal.
2. Installation (example if you are running Ubuntu on your local machine):
   sudo apt-get install rdesktop
3. The program itself can then be started via GUI or also via terminal:
   rdesktop <YOUR_IP>
4. To establish an RDP connection, your local Linux system must have an X11 server available. It should be installed by default if you are already using a GUI (graphical desktop environment - e.g. "Gnome" or "KDE").

How do I connect to a Windows server using a MacOS local computer?

1. The Remote Desktop Connection client is required to connect to your server. You can download the latest version from: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/microsoft-remote-desktop/id1295203466
2. After you have installed the latest version, you can start the RDP client and enter the Windows credentials (in the "Domain:" field, you can use either the IP address of the server or the hostname).

How do I connect to a Linux server using a Linux local computer?

1. Start the terminal on your Linux and type in the following command to connect as a root via SSH:
   ssh <username>@<IP address>
   For example:
   ssh [email protected]
2. In case this is your first attempt to connect to the server, you will have to accept its SSH certificate by typing "yes". 
3. Enter your servers password. Please note that SSH will not display any letters or symbols when typing the password. You can also copy and paste your password by using the right mouse key (please make sure not to copy your password with blank characters at the end – you can check so by pasting the password into an empty editor file before using it).
4. Once you've entered the password you the connection should be established and you should see the following screen:
   
   

How do I connect to a Linux server using a Windows local computer?

1. You will need a client to establish a remote connection via SSH to your server. We recommend using PuTTY. You can install PuTTY via the Microsoft Store or downloading it via your browser.
2. Once installed open PuTTY. You should see a screen like this:
   
   
3. Fill in the IP address field with the IP address of your Contabo server.
4. Fill in the Port field with the port number of your Contabo server. By default this should be 22 unless you have changed it.
5. Click Open.
6. If this is your first time connecting to the server you a window will pop up asking you to accept the SSH certificate. Click accept.
7. PuTTY will now open a Linux terminal directly connected to your server as shown below:
   
8. Enter the username for your server. You can find this in the Customer Control Panel, section VPS, VDS or Server control depending on which type of server you have with Contabo that you would like to connect to. Click the enter key after typing in your username.
9. You will then be prompted for your servers password. Type in your password and click the enter key. Please note that SSH will not display any letters or symbols when typing the password. You can also copy and paste your password by using the right mouse key (please make sure not to copy your password with blank characters at the end – you can check so by pasting the password into an empty editor file before using it).
10. You should then be successfully connected to you Contabo server via SSH and see the following screen:
     

I'm having issues connecting to my server, what can I do?

If you're having troubling connecting to your server please take a look at this article. It should provide a number of solutions to help you connect to your server if you're having problems.