Last updated 19th September 2020
Objective
To perform certain administrative functions on your server (e.g. installing packages), you’ll need to have a high level of user access. On Linux servers, this access is called “root”.
This guide provides some basic information on how to enable root logins via SSH.
While OVHcloud provides you with the devices, the responsibility rests solely in your hands. Since we have no access to these machines, we are not their administrators. It is your responsibility to manage the software, and apply proper security measures on a daily basis. This guide is designed to help you with the most common tasks. Nevertheless, we recommend that you contact a specialised service provider if you have difficulties or doubts concerning the administration, usage or implementation of security measures on a server.
Requirements
- A service (VPS, Dedicated Server, Public Cloud Instance) that currently does not have root logins enabled.
Instructions
Become root
To become the root user, type the following command at the command line:
~$ sudo su -
~#
You should be prompted for your current password to change users.
Set the root password
Now that you are the root user, you can set a password for it.
~# passwd
New password:
Retype new password:
passwd: password updated successfully
Enable root logins
You will need to configure the SSH service to allow root logins.
Enabling root logins is not recommended as it will open your server to brute force attacks. We recommend taking measures to secure your VPS first. You can refer to our guide on Securing a VPS
Open the sshd_config file
You need to use a text editor such as vim or nano.
~# vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Add the following line to allow root logins.
PermitRootLogin yes
Save the file
Restart the SSH service
~# systemctl restart ssh
You should now be able to login with the root user.
Go further
Join our community of users on https://community.ovh.com/en/.