Accessing a Linux AWS EC2 instance from a Windows machine requires an SSH connection. When you create an EC2 instance, AWS provides a PEM private key. This key is needed to authenticate your connection. The public key is automatically installed on the instance.
Windows does not include an SSH client by default, so you need to use a third-party tool like PuTTY. PuTTY is a widely used client that supports SSH connections and is compatible with Windows. To use PuTTY, you must first convert the PEM key to the PPK format that PuTTY requires.
Before connecting, ensure the security group for your EC2 instance allows SSH traffic from your IP address. Once confirmed, you can configure PuTTY with the necessary details and connect to your instance. This setup allows you to manage your Linux EC2 instance securely from your Windows environment.
Steps to SSH to Linux AWS EC2 instance using PuTTY:
- Confirm the security group for your EC2 instance allows SSH traffic, or use a VPN or proxy server if necessary.
Related: How to create SOCKS proxy on Windows
- Convert your PEM private key file to PPK (PuTTY Private Key) format.
- Download PuTTY from the official website.
https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html
- Launch PuTTY.
- Enter the Host Name or IP Address of your ec2 instance.
- Go to Connection → SSH → Auth from the sidebar menu.
- Click on the Browse button to look for your PuTTY Private Key.
- Select your PuTTY Private Key from the stored location and click on the Open button.
- Click on the Open button to start the connection.
- Click Yes if a security alert pops up as this is your first connection to the server and the server's key fingerprint is not in your PuTTY's cache.
- Enter the username that you want to connect as and press enter.
- Enter the passphrase for the key if a passphrase protects your key.
- You should now are logged in using the public key authentication to the system.
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is an experienced cloud architect with a strong development and open-source advocacy background. He boasts multiple certifications in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, underscoring his expertise in cloud architecture and system administration.
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