Connecting to your ec2 Linux instance from Windows using PuTTY

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After you launch your instance, you can connect to it and use it the way that you'd use a computer sitting in front of you.

The following instructions explain how to connect to your instance using PuTTY, a free SSH client for Windows.

Prerequisites

Before you connect to your Linux instance using PuTTY, complete the following prerequisites.

Verify that the instance is ready

After you launch an instance, it can take a few minutes for the instance to be ready so that you can connect to it. Check that your instance has passed its status checks. You can view this information in the Status check column on the Instances page.

Verify the general prerequisites for connecting to your instance

To find the public DNS name or IP address of your instance and the user name that you should use to connect to your instance, see General prerequisites for connecting to your instance.

Install PuTTY on your local computer

Download and install PuTTY from the PuTTY download page. If you already have an older version of PuTTY installed, we recommend that you download the latest version. Be sure to install the entire suite.

Convert your private .pem key to .ppk using PuTTYgen

For the key pair that you specified when you launched the instance, if you chose to create the private key in the .pem format, you must convert it to a .ppk file for use with PuTTY. Locate the private .pem file, and then follow the steps in the next section.

Steps

Convert your private key using PuTTYgen

PuTTY does not natively support the PEM format for SSH keys. PuTTY provides a tool named PuTTYgen, which converts PEM keys to the required PPK format for PuTTY. You must convert your private key (.pem file) into this format (.ppk file) as follows in order to connect to your instance using PuTTY.

To convert your private .pem key to .ppk

1. From the Start menu, choose All Programs, PuTTY, PuTTYgen.
2. Under Type of key to generate, choose RSA. If your version of PuTTYgen does not include this option, choose SSH-2 RSA.
   
3. Choose Load. By default, PuTTYgen displays only files with the extension .ppk. To locate your .pem file, choose the option to display files of all types.
   
4. Select your .pem file for the key pair that you specified when you launched your instance and choose Open. PuTTYgen displays a notice that the .pem file was successfully imported. Choose OK.
5. To save the key in the format that PuTTY can use, choose Save private key. PuTTYgen displays a warning about saving the key without a passphrase. Choose Yes.
   Note
   A passphrase on a private key is an extra layer of protection. Even if your private key is discovered, it can't be used without the passphrase. The downside to using a passphrase is that it makes automation harder because human intervention is needed to log on to an instance, or to copy files to an instance.
   Specify the same name for the key that you used for the key pair (for example, my-key-pair) and choose Save. PuTTY automatically adds the .ppk file extension.

Your private key is now in the correct format for use with PuTTY. You can now connect to your instance using PuTTY's SSH client.

Connect to your Linux instance

Use the following procedure to connect to your Linux instance using PuTTY. You need the .ppk file that you created for your private key. For more information, see Convert your private key using PuTTY in the preceding section.

To connect to your instance using PuTTY

• Start PuTTY (from the Start menu, choose All Programs, PuTTY, PuTTY).
• In the Category pane, choose Session and complete the following fields:
  1. In the Host Name box, do one of the following:
     • (Public DNS) To connect using your instance's public DNS name, enter my-instance-user-name@my-instance-public-dns-name.
     • (IPv6) Alternatively, if your instance has an IPv6 address, to connect using your instance's IPv6 address, enter my-instance-user-name@my-instance-IPv6-address.
  2. Ensure that the Port value is 22.
  3. Under Connection type, select SSH.
     
• (Optional) You can configure PuTTY to automatically send 'keepalive' data at regular intervals to keep the session active. This is useful to avoid disconnecting from your instance due to session inactivity. In the Category pane, choose Connection, and then enter the required interval in the Seconds between keepalives field. For example, if your session disconnects after 10 minutes of inactivity, enter 180 to configure PuTTY to send keepalive data every 3 minutes.
• In the Category pane, expand Connection, expand SSH, and then choose Auth. Complete the following:
  1. Choose Browse.
  2. Select the .ppk file that you generated for your key pair and choose Open.
  3. (Optional) If you plan to start this session again later, you can save the session information for future use. Under Category, choose Session, enter a name for the session in Saved Sessions, and then choose Save.
  4. Choose Open.
• If this is the first time you have connected to this instance, PuTTY displays a security alert dialog box that asks whether you trust the host to which you are connecting.
  1. (Optional) Verify that the fingerprint in the security alert dialog box matches the fingerprint that you previously obtained in (Optional) Get the instance fingerprint. If these fingerprints don't match, someone might be attempting a "man-in-the-middle" attack. If they match, continue to the next step.
  2. Choose Yes. A window opens and you are connected to your instance.

Transfer files to your Linux instance using the PuTTY Secure Copy client

The PuTTY Secure Copy client (PSCP) is a command-line tool that you can use to transfer files between your Windows computer and your Linux instance. If you prefer a graphical user interface (GUI), you can use an open-source GUI tool named WinSCP.

To use PSCP, you need the private key you generated in Convert your private key using PuTTYgen. You also need the public DNS name of your Linux instance, or the IPv6 address if your instance has one.

The following example transfers the file Sample_file.txt from the C:\ drive on a Windows computer to the my-instance-user-name home directory on an Amazon Linux instance. To transfer a file, use one of the following commands.

• (Public DNS) To transfer a file using your instance's public DNS name, enter the following command.

  pscp -i C:\path\my-key-pair.ppk C:\path\Sample_file.txt my-instance-user-name@my-instance-public-dns-name:/home/my-instance-user-name/Sample_file.txt

• (IPv6) Alternatively, if your instance has an IPv6 address, to transfer a file using your instance's IPv6 address, enter the following command. The IPv6 address must be enclosed in square brackets ([ ]).

  pscp -i C:\path\my-key-pair.ppk C:\path\Sample_file.txt my-instance-user-name@[my-instance-IPv6-address]:/home/my-instance-user-name/Sample_file.txt