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Access instances

How to open a shell in an instance, use the text and graphical consoles, view log files, and set up SSH access.

The instance detail page provides three access surfaces: the Terminal tab (a shell inside the instance), the Console tab (the instance's console), and the Logs tab (log files). Terminal and console access are permission-gated; if you lack the permission, opening the tab shows a "Restricted permissions" notice instead of a session.

Terminal tab

The Terminal tab opens an interactive shell in a running instance. By default it runs bash as root.

Click Reconnect to restart the session with different settings: the command to run, user and group IDs, and environment variables. Check Save as default to persist those settings for this instance — future terminal sessions reuse them.

Notes:

  • The instance must be Running. If it is still booting, the tab shows a waiting message until the shell is ready.
  • A Fullscreen button is available, and leaving the page mid-session asks for confirmation.
  • VMs need a guest agent. The terminal works over an exec channel that requires an agent inside the guest OS. Immutable operating systems such as Talos Linux do not support the agent — for those VMs the tab tells you to use the Console tab instead.

Console tab

The Console tab attaches to the instance's console:

  • Containers get a text console.
  • VMs get a toggle between a Graphic console and a Text console.

Text console

The text console shows the instance's console output (recent output is preloaded when you open the tab) and accepts input. The instance must be running; a stopped instance shows a prompt to start it. This is the way in when no shell is available — for example during early boot, or on VMs without a guest agent.

Graphical (SPICE) console for VMs

The graphic console renders the VM's display in the browser using SPICE. The toolbar offers:

  • Fullscreen.
  • Shortcuts — send key combinations that the browser would otherwise intercept: Ctrl+Alt+Del, Alt+Tab, Alt+F4, and Ctrl+Alt+F1 through F4.
  • Attach ISO / Detach ISO — attach one of your custom ISOs to the running VM, for example to run an installer or load drivers.

The console reconnects automatically after a restart, and offers a Reconnect button after the VM starts.

VM screenshot preview

For VMs, the Overview tab shows a live screenshot of the VM's display in the Preview card, so you can see at a glance what the machine is doing without opening the console.

Logs tab

The Logs tab lists the instance's log files. Expand a row to read a file inline, use the permalink to share a deep link to it, or download it with the download button.

SSH access

To reach an instance over SSH instead of the console:

  1. Add your public key to the instance with the cloud-init SSH keys feature — see Use cloud-init. Keys are applied when the instance is created or restarted, and the image must have cloud-init installed.
  2. Make the instance reachable from your network. Instances on internal networks are not directly reachable from outside; set up a network forward to map an external address and port to the instance.