Quick answer
SSH gives you command-line access to your own hosting account. Interactive Online's new paid hosting offers include jailed SSH, which restricts the environment available to your account. It does not provide root access or permission to manage the server.
SSH availability on existing plans can differ; check your service or ask support. Access must be active on your account before these commands can work.
For file transfers on this SSH-enabled account, select SFTP in your transfer client. SSH terminal access and SFTP use the same assigned SSH port. Interactive Online no longer provides FTP access; an old FTP subaccount is not an SSH/SFTP identity.
Before connecting
Have your cPanel username, assigned server and an authorized SSH key ready. Do not use your Client Area email address as the SSH username. If SSH Access is missing from a limited dashboard, ask support about authorizing your public key.
Open a terminal and connect
Use an installed SSH client on your computer. OpenSSH is available on many current Windows, macOS and Linux systems.
For an account assigned to cPanel12:
ssh -p 12347 CPANEL_USERNAME@cpanel12.primary001.netFor an account assigned to cPanel25:
ssh -p 12348 CPANEL_USERNAME@cpanel25.primary001.netReplace CPANEL_USERNAME with your own username. If the key is not selected automatically, add -i PATH_TO_YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY before the username and hostname. Keep the private key on your own computer.
Check the connection before doing work
Verify the host-key fingerprint through a trusted support channel before accepting it. After sign-in, whoami shows the account and pwd shows the current directory. Use exit to leave the session.
Available commands depend on the account and server environment. Jailed access does not guarantee that every language runtime, package manager or developer tool is installed. Do not attempt to remove the jail, use another customer's files or run server-administration commands.
Related documentation
Updated October 30, 2026.
