How do I know what is my Authentication system like password or SSH?

Heya,

By default DigitalOcean Droplets have their PasswordAuthentication turned off and are using SSH keys for connection.

On Droplet creation you are asked to provide your SSH key otherwise the Droplet can’t be created.

Having said that, if you don’t have that SSH key you can use the DigitalOcean Web Console or Recovery Console to gain access to your Droplet and add a new SSH key or Turn on PasswordAuthentication:

https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/droplets/how-to/recovery/recovery-console/

Hi there,

As mentioned already, by default DigitalOcean Droplets have their PasswordAuthentication turned off and are using SSH keys for connection.

But if you’ve made any chances and want to determine the authentication system of your DigitalOcean Droplet, you’ll primarily need to check the SSH configuration:

1. Login to your Droplet:

   • Access your Droplet via the DigitalOcean console or an SSH client.

2. Examine SSH Configuration:

   • Run the command: cat /etc/ssh/sshd_config.
   • Look for the line PasswordAuthentication. If it’s set to yes, password authentication is enabled.
   • Check for PubkeyAuthentication. If it’s set to yes, SSH key authentication is enabled.

You can also follow the steps here on how to recover from a lost SSH key:

https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/i-lost-the-ssh-key-for-my-droplet/

Hope that this helps!

Best,

Bobby

Heya,

The default option is to have the password authentication disabled. This can be changed at any time as Bobby mentioned.

Also, you can use the recovery console to regain access to your droplet in case of emergency or when normal ssh-client access is not available.

Regards