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🔧 Hostinger SSH Connection Troubleshooting

Issue: Connection Timeout

If you get Connection timed out, try these solutions:

Solution 1: Enable SSH Access in Hostinger Control Panel

Most common issue: SSH might not be enabled for your account.

Steps:

  1. Log in to hPanel: https://hpanel.hostinger.com
  2. Go to your hosting account
  3. Look for "SSH Access" or "Advanced" → "SSH Access"
  4. Click "Enable SSH Access" or "Request SSH Access"
  5. Wait a few minutes for it to activate
  6. Try connecting again

Solution 2: Check Your Hosting Plan

Important: Not all Hostinger plans support SSH access.

Plans that support SSH:

  • ✅ VPS Hosting
  • ✅ Cloud Hosting
  • ✅ Business Web Hosting (some plans)
  • ❌ Basic/Shared Hosting (usually doesn't support SSH)

Check your plan:

  1. Go to hPanel → "Account" or "Billing"
  2. Check your hosting plan type
  3. If it's shared hosting, you may need to upgrade or use FTP instead

Solution 3: Verify SSH Details

Make sure you have the correct connection details:

Get correct details from hPanel:

  1. Log in to hPanel
  2. Go to "SSH Access" section
  3. You should see:
  4. SSH Username (usually starts with u + numbers)
  5. SSH Host/Server (IP or hostname)
  6. SSH Port (usually 22, but might be different)

Common Hostinger SSH formats:

# Format 1: Using username@server-ip
u123456789@82.197.83.125

# Format 2: Using username@server-hostname
u123456789@server123.hosting.com

# Format 3: Using domain
u123456789@yourdomain.com

Solution 4: Try Different Ports

Hostinger might use a non-standard SSH port:

# Try port 2222 (common alternative)
ssh -i config/deploy/hostinger_deploy_key -p 2222 u123456789@82.197.83.125

# Try port 22000 (some Hostinger servers use this)
ssh -i config/deploy/hostinger_deploy_key -p 22000 u123456789@82.197.83.125

# Standard port 22
ssh -i config/deploy/hostinger_deploy_key -p 22 u123456789@82.197.83.125

Solution 5: Check Firewall/Network

Test if port 22 is accessible:

# Test connection to port 22
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 82.197.83.125 -Port 22

# Or using telnet (if available)
telnet 82.197.83.125 22

If it times out: - Your network/firewall might be blocking port 22 - Try from a different network (mobile hotspot, etc.) - Check if your ISP blocks port 22

Solution 6: Use Hostinger's Web Terminal (Alternative)

If SSH doesn't work, Hostinger might offer a web-based terminal:

  1. Log in to hPanel
  2. Look for "Terminal" or "Web Terminal"
  3. Use this for basic commands instead of SSH

Solution 7: Contact Hostinger Support

If nothing works, contact Hostinger support:

  1. Live Chat: Available in hPanel
  2. Email: support@hostinger.com
  3. Ask them:
  4. "Is SSH enabled for my account?"
  5. "What is my SSH username and host?"
  6. "What port should I use for SSH?"
  7. "My plan: [your plan name] - does it support SSH?"

Alternative: Use FTP/SFTP Instead

If SSH isn't available, you can still deploy using FTP:

Using PowerShell with WinSCP or FileZilla:

# Install WinSCP module (if needed)
Install-Module -Name WinSCP

# Or use FileZilla GUI client
# Download from: https://filezilla-project.org/

FTP Details (from hPanel):

  • Go to "FTP Accounts" in hPanel
  • Get your FTP host, username, and password
  • Use these for deployment instead of SSH

Quick Diagnostic Commands

Run these to gather info:

# 1. Test basic connectivity
ping 82.197.83.125

# 2. Test SSH port
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 82.197.83.125 -Port 22

# 3. Try verbose SSH connection (shows more details)
ssh -v -i config/deploy/hostinger_deploy_key u123456789@82.197.83.125

# 4. Try with different ports
ssh -v -i config/deploy/hostinger_deploy_key -p 2222 u123456789@82.197.83.125

Most Likely Solutions (in order)

  1. Enable SSH in hPanel (90% of cases)
  2. Check your hosting plan (might not support SSH)
  3. Verify connection details (wrong username/host)
  4. Try different port (2222 or 22000)
  5. Contact Hostinger support (they can enable it)

Next Steps

  1. First, check if SSH is enabled in hPanel
  2. Verify your hosting plan supports SSH
  3. Try the diagnostic commands above
  4. If still stuck, contact Hostinger support with:
  5. Your account details
  6. The error message
  7. What you've tried

For Deployment Without SSH

If SSH isn't available, you can still deploy using:

  1. GitHub Actions → FTP deployment
  2. FTP/SFTP clients (FileZilla, WinSCP)
  3. Hostinger's File Manager (web-based)
  4. Hostinger's Git integration (if available)

Let me know what you find and I can help set up an alternative deployment method!