SSH connection refused - how to troubleshoot

Question

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?

omar_linux · Accepted Answer

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 sshd
Step 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 --reload
Step 3: Verify SSH is listening on correct port
sudo netstat -tlnp | grep ssh
# or
sudo ss -tlnp | grep ssh

SSH connection refused - how to troubleshoot

1 Answer

Step 1: Check if SSH service is running

Step 2: Check firewall settings

Step 3: Verify SSH is listening on correct port

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