Set up Termius to manage your Linux servers

Termius is a cross-platform SSH client for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. It keeps your servers in a tidy list, stores keys, and can sync everything between your computer and phone. This guide shows how to add your VPS, log in with a key, use groups and snippets, move files with SFTP, and decide what you are comfortable syncing.

Before you start

• Your VPS IP address, username and password from the service page in your VPS provider's control panel.
• Termius installed from termius.com or your device's app store.
• A Termius account if you want sync between devices. The core SSH features work in the free plan; features such as sync and SFTP have changed between plans over time, so check Termius's current pricing page for what is included.

Add your VPS as a host

1. Open Termius and go to Hosts (sometimes called Vaults → Hosts).
2. Click New Host.
3. Fill in the fields:

• Label: a friendly name, such as Web server.
• Address: the IP, for example 203.0.113.10.
• Port: 22, or your custom SSH port.
• Username: root or your sudo user.
• Password: optional. Leave it empty to be asked each time.

1. Save, then double-click the host to connect.

On first connection Termius shows the server's host key fingerprint. Accept it to continue. If Termius warns later that the key has changed and you have not reinstalled the OS, stop and investigate.

Log in with an SSH key

Keys are safer than passwords and save typing.

Generate a key in Termius

1. Go to Keychain and choose New → Generate Key (the exact label varies by version).
2. Pick Ed25519, give it a name, and set a passphrase.
3. Open the key and use Export to host to copy the public key to your server, or copy the public key text and add it yourself.

To add it by hand, log in with the password and run, as the user you will log in as:

mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh
nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Paste the public key on its own line, save, and fix permissions:

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Import an existing key

In Keychain, choose New → Import Key and select your private key file. Termius reads OpenSSH keys and PuTTY .ppk files. Then edit the host and choose this key under SSH key (in some versions, Key, Certificate, FIDO2).

Connect again. You should be logged in without the server password.

Organise with groups

Groups keep many servers manageable:

1. In Hosts, create a New Group, for example Production or Client A.
2. Set shared settings on the group, such as the username, port and key.
3. Move hosts into the group. They inherit the group's settings unless you override them on the host.

Tags and colour labels help too. Many people mark production servers in red so they never confuse them with a test box.

Save commands as snippets

Snippets store commands you run often:

1. Open Snippets and click New Snippet.
2. Give it a name, such as Disk and memory, and the command:

   df -h / && free -h && uptime

1. Save. In an open terminal, open the snippets panel and click the snippet to paste it, or run it on several hosts at once.

Transfer files with SFTP

Termius includes an SFTP file browser:

1. Open SFTP from the sidebar.
2. Choose your local machine on one side and the server on the other.
3. Drag and drop files between the panes, or right-click for options such as rename, delete and permissions.

SFTP uses the same SSH login, so there is nothing extra to configure on the server. Files land with your SSH user as owner. If you upload into a web folder, you may need to fix ownership afterwards. For command-line alternatives, see Transfer files with SCP and SFTP.

Sync and security considerations

Sync is convenient: a host added on your laptop appears on your phone. It also means your host list, and possibly passwords and private keys, are stored in Termius's cloud. Termius states that synced data is end-to-end encrypted, but you should still decide deliberately:

• Protect the account. Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication in Termius.
• Prefer keys with passphrases. A synced key that also has a passphrase is useless to someone who only gets the file.
• Avoid saving server passwords in hosts if you can use keys instead.
• Lock the app. On mobile, enable the app's PIN or biometric lock.
• Remove lost devices from your Termius account straight away, then rotate any keys they held.
• For sensitive servers, you can keep keys local only and not sync them; check the vault and sync settings in your version.

Check it works

1. Double-click your host. You should land at the server prompt without a password.
2. Run your Disk and memory snippet and confirm it prints the disk, memory and uptime.
3. Open SFTP and confirm you can browse your home folder.

Troubleshooting

• Connection timed out: check the server is running in your VPS provider's control panel, the IP and port are correct, and your firewall allows SSH. See Fix SSH connection refused or timed out.
• Authentication failed with a key: the key is not attached to the host, or the public key is missing from the server user's authorized_keys.
• Host key changed warning: expected after an OS reinstall. Remove the old known host entry in Termius settings, then reconnect.
• SFTP upload fails with Permission denied: your user cannot write to that folder. Upload to your home folder and move the file with sudo.

Next steps

• Learn more about key pairs: Set up SSH keys.
• Use Termius on the go: Manage your Linux VPS from a phone.