SSH into an Azure Virtual Machine

🎯 Objective

Learn how to securely connect to an Azure Virtual Machine (VM) using SSH (Secure Shell).

🧠 What is SSH?

SSH (Secure Shell) is a protocol used to securely access and manage remote servers.

👉 Used for:

☁️ What is an Azure VM?

An Azure VM is a cloud-based server provided by Microsoft Azure.

👉 It behaves like a normal Linux/Windows server but runs in the cloud.

📋 Prerequisites

Before connecting, make sure:

🔍 Step 1: Get VM Public IP

Go to:

👉 Copy:

Public IP Address

Example:

20.55.100.10

🔑 Step 2: Set Permission for Key (Important)

chmod400 my-key.pem

👉 Restricts access (required for SSH security)

🛠️ Step 3: SSH into VM (Using Key)

ssh-i my-key.pem azureuser@20.55.100.10

🧠 Breakdown:

🔐 Alternative: SSH Using Password

ssh azureuser@20.55.100.10

👉 Then enter password when prompted.

⚙️ Step 4: First-Time Connection

You may see:

Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?

👉 Type:

yes

🧪 Step 5: Verify Connection

Once connected, you’ll see:

azureuser@vm-name:~$

Test:

whoami

Expected output:

azureuser

🚫 Common Errors & Fixes

❌ Permission denied (publickey)

👉 Fix:

chmod400 my-key.pem

❌ Connection timed out

👉 Check:

❌ Host unreachable

👉 Check:

🔥 Advanced: Using SSH Config (Cleaner Way)

Edit config file:

nano ~/.ssh/config

Add:

Host azure-vm
    HostName20.55.100.10
    User azureuser
    IdentityFile ~/my-key.pem

Now connect easily:

ssh azure-vm

🧩 Real-World Use Cases

⚠️ Security Best Practices

📌 Summary