How to SSH Into an Amazon Lightsail Server

To connect to your Amazon Lightsail instance via SSH, you’ll need your PEM key and the server’s public IP address. If you don’t have a PEM key yet, read my tutorial on How to Download Your PEM File in AWS Lightsail.

Step 1: Open a terminal

• Windows: PowerShell
• macOS / Linux: Terminal

Step 2: Run the SSH command

ssh -i NameOfPEMFile.pem bitnami@IP.Address.Here

ssh -i NameOfPEMFile.pem bitnami@IP.Address.Here

In Powershell, you’ll want to ensure the path of your PEM file is in quotes. Example below:

ssh -i "C:\Users\YourName\My SSH Keys\lightsail-key.pem" bitnami@44.196.11.84

ssh -i "C:\Users\YourName\My SSH Keys\lightsail-key.pem" bitnami@44.196.11.84

Step 3: Accept the fingerprint

If prompted, type yes to trust the server and complete the connection.

Once connected, you’ll be logged into your Lightsail server as the bitnami user.

Bonus: Basic SSH Commands

I have a YouTube tutorial showing basic SSH commands. Go to: SSH Basics for AWS Beginners | Essential Linux Commands (EC2 & Lightsail Tutorial)