SSH access is only available when you deploy with a dev OS image. Select “dstack-dev” as the OS type when creating your CVM. Production OS images have SSH disabled for security.
This guide shows you how to SSH into your CVM through the secure gateway tunnel.

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Prerequisites

  • SSH client on your local machine
  • OpenSSL installed
  • CVM deployed with Development OS

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Step 1: Set Root Credentials

When deploying your CVM, set one of these environment variables: For password authentication:
  • Add DSTACK_ROOT_PASSWORD as a secure environment variable
For key-based authentication (recommended):
  • Add DSTACK_ROOT_PUBLIC_KEY with your SSH public key
If you need to add credentials after deployment, use “Code Update” in the dashboard to modify environment variables.

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Step 2: Configure Your SSH Client

Add this to your ~/.ssh/config file: 
Host my-cvm
    HostName <app-id>-22.<cluster>.phala.network
    User root
    Port 443
    ProxyCommand openssl s_client -quiet -connect %h:%p
Replace:
  • <app-id> with your application ID (find it in the dashboard)
  • <cluster> with your cluster (e.g., us)

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Step 3: Connect

ssh my-cvm
That’s it. You’re now connected to your CVM through the secure gateway tunnel.
macOS users: If you encounter connection timeouts, you may have LibreSSL instead of OpenSSL. Install OpenSSL via Homebrew (brew install openssl) and update your ProxyCommand to use the full path to the Homebrew OpenSSL binary.

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What You Can Do

Once connected, you have full access to debug and manage your CVM: 
# Check containers
docker ps -a
docker logs <container-name>

# Monitor resources
htop
docker stats

# Debug networking
curl http://localhost:8080
netstat -tulpn
wg show

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Security Notes

  • SSH traffic is tunneled through TLS via the gateway
  • Only your code inside the TEE can see the decrypted SSH session
  • Use key-based authentication for production debugging
  • Remember to switch to Production OS when you’re done debugging

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Troubleshooting

Permission denied?
  • Verify your credentials are set in environment variables
  • Use “Code Update” to add them if forgotten during deployment
Connection timeout?
  • Check your OpenSSL version: openssl version
  • macOS users: ensure you’re using OpenSSL, not LibreSSL
Connection refused?
  • Confirm you deployed with Development OS, not Production OS

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Next Steps