1 year PowerDedi turns 1: −20% on every server with code Ends in 14 h Claim offer

Pay with
PowerDedi
Deploy a server
Log in Deploy a server

Getting started

Get started with your dedicated server

From order to first SSH login: choose a server, pay in crypto, connect, then run the first-ten-minutes checklist.

Updated September 26, 2026 · 4 min read · 6 sections

On this page 6 sections
  1. Choose a server
  2. Place your order
  3. Pay
  4. Wait for provisioning
  5. Log in for the first time
  6. First ten minutes checklist

This guide takes you from choosing a server to a first secure login. You need an email address, an SSH key pair (see Create and use SSH keys) and a wallet or exchange account holding one of the accepted cryptocurrencies.

Choose a server

Every server comes with its own 10 Gbps unmetered port, IPMI/KVM console access, one dedicated IPv4 address and a routed /64 IPv6 prefix. Servers listed under Instant servers are in stock and ready about 15 minutes after your payment is confirmed. Other configurations show their delivery time, 24 or 72 hours, on the product page. The full range is on Dedicated servers.

Pick the location closest to your users. If you are unsure, compare the locations first.

Place your order

  1. Open the server’s order page and choose a location.
  2. Choose an operating system: Debian, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Proxmox VE or FreeBSD. You can switch later at any time; see Reinstall the operating system.
  3. Click Continue and create your account with an email address and a password, without leaving the page. No ID documents are required.
  4. On the checkout page, paste your SSH public key: the single line from your .pub file, starting with ssh-ed25519. You can manage saved keys later under Account → SSH keys.

Pay

Your order creates an invoice in US dollars. If your account balance covers it, pay it from the balance in one click. Otherwise choose Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, USDT (TRC-20) or Solana: the payment page shows its own deposit address, a QR code and an exact crypto amount, locked for 30 minutes (45 for Bitcoin and Monero). Send exactly that amount on exactly that network; the invoice is paid automatically when the payment confirms.

Some exchanges deduct their withdrawal fee from the amount you enter, so the deposit address receives less than it asks for. Enter the amount the recipient should receive. Pay with cryptocurrency covers networks, confirmation times and late payments.

Wait for provisioning

Provisioning starts once the payment is confirmed on the blockchain. That takes under a minute for Solana, about a minute for USDT (TRC-20), a few minutes for Ethereum and 10–30 minutes for Bitcoin and Monero. An in-stock server is ready about 15 minutes later. The server’s page in the client area follows each step, then shows its IP address and login details.

Select the server to see its tabs: Overview, Network, Console, Reinstall, Rescue and Settings. The Network tab lists your IPv4 address, its gateway and your IPv6 prefix.

Log in for the first time

Connect with the private key that matches the public key you pasted. Replace the address with your server’s IPv4 address, and use the username shown in the client area if it isn’t root:

ssh root@203.0.113.10

On the first connection, SSH asks you to confirm the server’s host key. Answer yes. If SSH later warns that the host key has changed and you haven’t reinstalled the server, stop and find out why before you continue.

If the connection fails, add -v to see which keys SSH offers, or point it at your key with -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519. The Console tab shows the server’s screen if you need to rule out a boot problem; see Use the IPMI/KVM console.

First ten minutes checklist

Run these commands as root, or prefix them with sudo.

  1. Install updates, then reboot if a new kernel was installed. 
    apt update && apt full-upgrade                  # Debian, Ubuntu, Proxmox VE
dnf upgrade                                       # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux
freebsd-update fetch install && pkg upgrade     # FreeBSD
  2. Create a personal user with sudo rights and copy your key to it. Give it a password: sudo asks for it, and you need it to log in on the console in an emergency. 
    adduser alice && usermod -aG sudo alice             # Debian, Ubuntu
useradd -m -G wheel alice && passwd alice           # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux
install -d -m 700 -o alice -g alice /home/alice/.ssh
install -m 600 -o alice -g alice /root/.ssh/authorized_keys /home/alice/.ssh/
restorecon -R /home/alice/.ssh                        # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux
    If sudo is missing, as on Proxmox VE, install it first with apt install sudo. On FreeBSD, create the user with adduser and add it to the wheel group. Test ssh alice@203.0.113.10 and sudo -v from a second terminal before you close the root session.
  3. Lock down SSH and enable a firewall. Allow SSH before you turn the firewall on. Secure your server in the first hour has the exact steps.
  4. Set up reverse DNS for your hostname, especially if the server will send email. See Set up reverse DNS (PTR records).
  5. Turn on two-factor authentication for your client area account under Account → Security. Whoever controls that account can reinstall your server.
  6. Plan backups. We don’t back up your data, and RAID doesn’t replace a backup.

To confirm the network performs as expected, see Test your server’s network speed. If you install a system yourself, Configure IPv6 on your server explains the /64 setup.

Related guides

All guides