Add an SSH Server with Username/Password Auth
Last modified on July 30, 2025
Overview
An SSH server is a combination of a specific SSH destination and the credentials to access it. This guide describes how to set up an SSH (Password) server in the Admin UI. This server type may be added to StrongDM to allow users to connect to resources (such as network devices) that require a username and password for authentication.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure that the server you are attempting to add is accessible from your StrongDM gateways or relays. You must have a properly functioning gateway(s) (and optionally a relay(s) if you intend to use them to connect to this resource) up and running, and these nodes must be able to reach the target server before you can proceed. To verify, go to the gateway or relay server and from a command prompt, type ping <YOUR_HOSTNAME>. If your gateway or relay can connect to this hostname, you can continue. For more information see nodes.
In addition, you need to know the username and password of the resource to be added to StrongDM.
Add an SSH (Password) Server in the Admin UI
To add your new SSH (Password) server as a StrongDM resource, use the following steps.
- Log in to the Admin UI and go to Infrastructure > Servers.
- Click Add server.
- Select SSH (Password) as the Server Type and set other resource properties to configure how the StrongDM relay connects to the server via SSH.
- Click create to save the resource.
- Click the resource name to view status, diagnostic information, and setting details. After the server is created, the Admin UI displays that resource as unhealthy until the health checks run successfully. When the resource is ready, the Health icon indicates a positive, green status.
Resource properties
Configuration properties are visible when you add an SSH (Password) server or when you click to view the server’s settings. The following table describes the settings available for your SSH (Password) server.
| Property | Requirement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Display Name | Required | Meaningful name to display the resource throughout StrongDM; exclude special characters like quotes (") or angle brackets (< or >) |
| Server Type | Required | Select SSH (Password) |
| Proxy Cluster | Required | Defaults to “None (use gateways)”; if using proxy clusters, select the appropriate cluster to proxy traffic to this resource |
| Hostname | Required | Hostname or IP address to which you are connecting, such as testserver-01.example.org; relay server should be able to connect to your target server or hostname |
| Port | Required | Port to connect to the resource; default port value 22 |
| Connectivity Mode | Required | Select either Virtual Networking Mode, which lets users connect to the resource with a software-defined, IP-based network; or Loopback Mode, which allows users to connect to the resource using the local loopback adapter in their operating system; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode is enabled for your organization |
| IP Address | Optional | If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Virtual Networking Mode subnet in the organization network settings; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Loopback IP range in the organization network settings (by default, 127.0.0.1); if not specified, an available IP address in the configured IP address space for the selected connectivity mode will be automatically assigned; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode and/or multi-loopback mode is enabled for your organization |
| Port Override | Optional | If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1 and 65535 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1024 to 64999 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; when left empty with Virtual Networking Mode, the system assigns the default port to this resource; when left empty for Loopback Mode, an available port that is not already in use by another resource is assigned; preferred port also can be modified later from the Port Overrides settings |
| DNS | Optional | If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a unique hostname alias for this resource; when set, causes the desktop app to display this resource’s human-readable DNS name (for example, k8s.my-organization-name) instead of the bind address that includes IP address and port (for example, 100.64.100.100:5432) |
| Secret Store | Optional | Credential store location; defaults to Strong Vault; to learn more, see Secret Store options |
| Username | Required | Enter the username the node should utilize to connect to the server via SSH (for example, bob.belcher) |
| Password | Required | Enter the password the node should utilize to connect to the server via SSH |
| Allow Port Forwarding | Optional | When enabled, allows SSH connections proxied by StrongDM for this server to accept local forwarding requests; this checkbox is shown when the Allow port forwarding through SSH? option is turned on in the Admin UI security settings; see Port Forwarding for more information |
| Resource Tags | Optional | Resource tags consisting of key-value pairs <KEY>=<VALUE> (for example, env=dev) |
Secret Store options
By default, server credentials are stored in StrongDM. However, these credentials can also be saved in a secrets management tool.
Non-StrongDM options appear in the Secret Store dropdown if they are created under Settings > Secrets Management. When you select another Secret Store type, its unique properties display. For more details, see Configure Secret Store Integrations.