Adding Your First Server

Before you begin

You'll need:

• A VPS from any provider (DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, AWS, etc.)
• SSH access credentials (IP address, username, password or SSH key)
• Port 22 open (default SSH port)

Adding a server with password

1. Click "Add Server" in the sidebar
2. Enter your server details:
   • Name: A friendly name for your server
   • Host: Your server's IP address or hostname
   • Port: Usually 22
   • Username: Usually "root" or your created user
   • Password: Your SSH password
3. Click "Test Connection"
4. If successful, click "Save Server"

Adding a server with SSH key

1. Click "Add Server" in the sidebar
2. Enter your server details
3. Choose "SSH Key" as authentication method
4. Either:
   • Select an existing key from your system
   • Paste your private key content
   • Generate a new key pair
5. Click "Test Connection" then "Save Server"

Initial server setup

When you first connect, Server Compass will:

1. Check if Docker is installed
2. Offer to install Docker automatically if missing
3. Set up the Traefik reverse proxy for domains
4. Configure basic security settings

This happens automatically - just click "Setup Server" when prompted.