linode / linode/docs

beginners-guide-to-terraform should explain how to logon using ssh

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Description

I created my first instance using this tutorial, it's really useful, thanks.

I have several comments about how this could be improved to enable an initial ssh connection.

**root** user for connection
It wasn't obvious to me that the authorised_key is for the '*root*' user, I was trying with user '*ubuntu*'
It would help to state this and/or provide an ssh example.
I propose to output the appropriate ssh commands - see below.

**non-root** user
Is there no way to specify a non-root user, or to at least enable authorized_keys for the existing - in this case - '*ubuntu*' user ?

**root password + authorized keys**
It seems strange to me that we specify both - I guess this is for "safety"of not losing the ability to connect, but I would not use a password for root. Useful for debugging but maybe at least mention that it's unsafe.

**output ssh connectivity info**
I suggest adding some output statements as below (*need to specify correct key of course*)

```
output login_ipv4 { value = "ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa root@${tolist( linode_instance.example_instance.ipv4 )[0]}" }
output ipv4 { value = linode_instance.example_instance.ipv4 }

output login_ipv6 { value = "ssh -6 -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa root@${linode_instance.example_instance.ipv6}" }
output ipv6 { value = linode_instance.example_instance.ipv6 }
```

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Locate the “beginners-guide-to-terraform” tutorial and read the instance creation and output sections first. Clarify which user authorized_keys targets, document the initial SSH commands and IPv4/IPv6 outputs, and explain the root-password tradeoff; resolve whether non-root access is supported before changing the guide.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
terraform
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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