SSH connection refused - how to troubleshoot
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I cannot connect to my server via SSH. I get "Connection refused" error. The server is running and I can ping it. What could be wrong?
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youssef_net
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The "Connection refused" error typically means SSH service is not running or firewall is blocking. Here's how to fix it:
Step 1: Check if SSH service is running
# Check SSH status
sudo systemctl status sshd
# If not running, start it
sudo systemctl start sshd
sudo systemctl enable sshdStep 2: Check firewall settings
# For UFW (Ubuntu)
sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw status
# For firewalld (CentOS/RHEL)
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --reloadStep 3: Verify SSH is listening on correct port
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep ssh
# or
sudo ss -tlnp | grep ssh
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