> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rigbox.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # SSH Access > Connect to your workspaces via SSH for terminal access, file transfer, and management. # SSH Access Every Rigbox workspace is a full Linux VM with SSH access. Connect from any terminal to get a shell or transfer files. ## Prerequisites Before connecting via SSH, you need: 1. An SSH key pair on your local machine (e.g., `~/.ssh/id_ed25519`) 2. A Rigbox account with an API key 3. At least one running workspace If you don't have an SSH key yet, generate one: ```bash theme={null} ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com" ``` *** ## Register an SSH Key To connect via SSH, you first need to register your public key with Rigbox. Replace `` with a label you'll recognize (for example, `laptop`). ```bash theme={null} rig ssh add --name ``` This reads your default public key (`~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub`) and registers it automatically under the name you provide. To register a key from a different path, pass `--file`: ```bash theme={null} rig ssh add --name --file ~/.ssh/my_rigbox_key.pub ``` You can register multiple SSH keys for different machines - for example, one for your laptop and one for your desktop. Give each a descriptive name so you can identify them later. *** ## Sync Keys to a Workspace When you create a workspace, your registered SSH keys are typically synced automatically. If you add a new key while a workspace is already running, sync it manually: ```bash theme={null} rig ssh sync --workspace ``` This copies all your registered public keys into the workspace VM's `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` file. Keys are synced automatically on workspace start for most templates. You only need to run `rig ssh sync` if you add a key to an already-running workspace. *** ## Connect to a Workspace When you create a workspace, Rigbox gives you an SSH command in this format: ```bash theme={null} ssh -@.rigbox.dev ``` To print the exact SSH target for a workspace at any time, run: ```bash theme={null} rig workspace ssh-info --workspace ``` `` is the workspace ID with the leading `ws-` stripped, and `` is the workspace's region (for example, `eu-west-1`). For example, if your workspace is named `my-project` with ID `ws-ctbxi8lb` in the `eu-west-1` region: ```bash theme={null} ssh my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev ``` The examples below continue with `my-project` / `ws-ctbxi8lb` / `eu-west-1`. Replace those with your own workspace name, ID suffix, and region. The SSH server identifies you by your registered key and routes the connection directly to your workspace VM. The SSH command is shown in the dashboard when you create a workspace. You can also construct it from the workspace name, ID (strip the `ws-` prefix), and region. ### Connecting to the right region Each workspace runs on a compute node in a specific region (today: `eu-west-1`), and you connect to that region's hostname directly: ```bash theme={null} ssh my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev ``` The dashboard always shows the correct region in the SSH command it generates, and `rig ssh-info ` from the CLI prints the same target. As Rigbox expands to more regions, the hostname will change accordingly — there is no central `rigbox.dev:22` gateway to fall back on. Older `ssh +rig@rigbox.dev` instructions referred to a gateway router that is no longer deployed. If a third-party guide or older script still uses that format, replace it with the region-direct hostname. ### Specify an identity file If your key is not in the default location, specify it explicitly: ```bash theme={null} ssh -i ~/.ssh/my_rigbox_key my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev ``` ### SSH config shortcut Add this to your `~/.ssh/config` for easier access: ```ssh-config theme={null} Host my-project HostName eu-west-1.rigbox.dev User my-project-ctbxi8lb IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ``` Then connect with: ```bash theme={null} ssh my-project ``` *** ## File Transfer Use `scp` to transfer files between your local machine and a workspace. ### Upload a file ```bash theme={null} scp ./local-file.txt my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev:/home/developer/ ``` ### Download a file ```bash theme={null} scp my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev:/home/developer/output.txt ./ ``` ### Upload a directory ```bash theme={null} scp -r ./my-project my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev:/home/developer/ ``` ### Using rsync For larger transfers or syncing directories, `rsync` is more efficient: ```bash theme={null} rsync -avz ./my-project/ my-project-ctbxi8lb@eu-west-1.rigbox.dev:/home/developer/my-project/ ``` *** ## Managing SSH Keys ### List your registered keys ```bash theme={null} rig ssh ls ``` ### List keys synced to a workspace ```bash theme={null} rig ssh ls --workspace ``` This returns the keys currently in the workspace's `authorized_keys` file. ### Remove a key ```bash theme={null} rig ssh rm --name ``` Removing a key with the CLI does not immediately remove it from running workspaces. The key will be removed the next time the workspace restarts or you run `rig ssh sync`. *** ## Troubleshooting ### Connection refused If you get `Connection refused`, verify: 1. Your workspace is running (check with `rig workspace ls`) 2. Your SSH key is registered and synced 3. You're using the correct username format: `-@.rigbox.dev` ### Permission denied If you get `Permission denied (publickey)`: 1. Check that your key is registered: `rig ssh ls` 2. Sync keys to the workspace: `rig ssh sync --workspace ` 3. Verify you are using the correct identity file: `ssh -v my-project-ctbxi8lb@{region}.rigbox.dev` ### Slow connection If connections feel slow: 1. Check your network connection 2. Try connecting with `-o ServerAliveInterval=60` to prevent timeouts 3. For file transfers, prefer `rsync` over `scp` for large datasets *** ## API Reference * [Add SSH Key](/api-reference/ssh-keys/add) - Register a new SSH key * [List SSH Keys](/api-reference/ssh-keys/list) - List registered SSH keys * [Delete SSH Key](/api-reference/ssh-keys/delete) - Remove an SSH key * [Sync Workspace SSH Keys](/api-reference/ssh-keys/sync-workspace) - Sync keys to a workspace * [List Workspace SSH Keys](/api-reference/ssh-keys/list-workspace) - List keys on a workspace