SSH hardening checklist & sshd_config generator
Work through SSH hardening steps on your VPS, then generate a matching sshd_config snippet. Checklist progress is stored in the URL — bookmark or share with your team.
All checklist items done — your SSH surface is in good shape.
/ done
Config
Command
sshd_config generator
Toggle options below to build a snippet you can merge into /etc/ssh/sshd_config. This is separate from the checklist — use it to preview config before you apply changes.
Generated snippet
Validate & reload
About this tool
SSH is often the front door to your VPS. Keys-only auth, no root login, and a tested config beat any port-scan obscurity. This checklist covers the steps worth doing on every server; the generator outputs the sshd_config lines that match your choices.
Nothing leaves your browser. Checklist progress and generator toggles live in the URL query string.
Read more
- How to secure a VPS with Tailscale and Cloudflare Tunnel — keep SSH off the public internet
- SSH for developers — keys, host verification, config aliases, tunnels, and file transfers
- How to setup Git SSH keys — key-based auth before you disable passwords
- How to download a file over SCP — moving files over SSH once keys work
- How to create a VPS on DigitalOcean — where you'll apply this checklist
- Firewall Manager — open DigitalOcean SSH for your current IP, then close it
- How to configure Nginx for HTTPS — the next layer after SSH is locked down
- The Linux sudo command — why non-root + sudo beats logging in as root
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