Connect a server

This guide walks you through connecting an existing VPS or dedicated server so strackt can manage it. Once connected, your server is ready to receive applications.

Before you start: you need SSH access to a server you own or rent. The server must be running Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux, or an existing managed install.

Important: connecting a server replaces its operating system entirely. Any existing applications, data, and configuration on the server will be gone. Use a fresh server or one you are prepared to wipe.

What you need

• SSH access to the server as root with a password, or as another user with sudo access (strackt will set up root access automatically if it is not already available)
• If you connect with an SSH key, a key without a passphrase. strackt connects unattended, so it can't unlock a passphrase-protected key — the same key works from your terminal only because your SSH agent already holds the passphrase.
• Port 22 open and reachable from the internet
• Outbound internet access from the server so packages can be downloaded
• At least 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of disk
• An x86_64 or arm64 CPU

If your hosting provider has a separate firewall or security group, disable it temporarily for the connection — you can re-enable it once the server is running.

1. Add the server

Open Servers in the left sidebar, then click Connect a server.

Enter your server's IP address or hostname, the SSH port (22 is the default), and the credentials strackt should use to connect. If you only have a non-root user with sudo access, enter those credentials — strackt will prepare root access and then remove your credentials from the system immediately after.

If you paste a private key and it has a passphrase, strackt will tell you and stop there. Create a dedicated key without one, authorize it on your server, and paste that instead:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/strackt -N ""
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/strackt.pub root@your-server

Then paste the contents of ~/.ssh/strackt — the file without the .pub extension.

Click Validate to confirm strackt can reach the server.

2. Watch the connection process

Once validation passes, strackt begins the connection process. You will see a live progress view with the current step.

The process works through these stages in order:

1. Validating — confirms SSH connectivity and checks system requirements
2. Generating — builds a custom configuration for your server's hardware
3. Adopting — installs the managed operating system
4. Configuring — applies the initial configuration and restarts services

The full process typically takes 5–10 minutes depending on your server and network speed.

If anything goes wrong, the progress view will show what failed. Fix the underlying issue — usually a firewall rule or a typo in the credentials — and try again.

3. Server is connected

When the status shows Fresh, your server is connected and managed by strackt. Your original credentials are no longer stored.

From here, strackt handles OS updates, security patches, and configuration changes automatically. You own the server; strackt handles the rest.

When connecting doesn't complete

Connecting a server has two parts that can report a problem: reaching the server (the early "Validating" and "Adopting" steps) and setting it up (installing the managed operating system and applying the first configuration). Either way, the live progress view shows which step stopped, and nothing on strackt's side is left half-configured — you can safely fix the cause and try again.

If it stops early, while connecting

This almost always means strackt couldn't reach the server or sign in. The usual causes:

• A firewall or security group is blocking the connection. If your provider has its own firewall, disable it for the setup and re-enable it once the server is running. Confirm the SSH port (22 by default) is open to the internet.
• The address or credentials are off. Double-check the IP address or hostname, the port, and the login details. If you pasted an SSH key, make sure it's the private key and has no passphrase — strackt connects unattended and can't unlock a passphrase-protected key.
• The server isn't fully booted yet. A freshly created server can take a couple of minutes before it accepts connections. Give it a moment and validate again.

If it stops during setup

If it gets past connecting but stops while installing or applying the first configuration, the server is reachable — the issue is usually with the server itself:

• It needs outbound internet access. The setup downloads packages, so the server must be able to reach the internet. Check for an outbound firewall or a network that blocks it.
• It's short on resources. A server needs at least 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of disk, on an x86_64 or arm64 CPU. A machine below that can fail partway through setup.
• It's an unsupported base system. Start from a supported system — Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux, or an existing managed install.

Once you've cleared the cause, start the connection again from Servers → Connect a server. If it keeps stopping at the same step and the server looks healthy, reach out and we'll look at it with you.

What's next

• Add and deploy an application to put your server to work