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Last updated: 12 Jan 2022

SSH into machines

This document explains how to SSH into machines, and what commands exist to navigate machines and applications quickly. We use a tool called [GOV.UK Connect] to make this easier.

Usage

If you know the class of machine you want, you can SSH straight from the command line:

$ gds govuk connect -e staging ssh cache

This will automatically SSH into a random cache machine on AWS.

You can connect to a consistent machine by its index:

$ gds govuk connect -e staging ssh cache:1

To see all classes, run:

$ gds govuk connect -e staging ssh *

You can connect to specific machines if you know their internal IP address:

$ gds govuk connect ssh -e integration ip-10-1-6-234.eu-west-1.compute.internal

You can also start a Rails Console on a remote server, from your local machine:

$ gds govuk connect -e staging app-console publishing-api

For a full list of commands, run gds govuk connect --help.

Troubleshooting

See Unable to SSH into a machine.