Instance Connect

What is Excloud Instance Connect?#

Excloud Instance Connect provides a secure and convenient method to connect to your instances using SSH without the need to manage or distribute persistent SSH keys. This service enhances security and simplifies access control by allowing you to use temporary credentials for instance access.

Instance Connect works by pushing a one-time-use SSH public key to the instance, which is valid for a short period (typically 60 seconds). You then connect using your standard SSH client with your corresponding private key. This approach is similar in principle to services like AWS EC2 Instance Connect.

Installing#

To utilize Instance Connect, you must first install the exc-instance-connect command-line tool on the machine from which you will initiate connections to your Excloud instances.

Follow these steps to install exc-instance-connect on Debian-based Linux systems (e.g., Ubuntu):

1. Add the Excloud Repository GPG Key: This command downloads the Excloud GPG key and adds it to your system’s list of trusted keys. This ensures that the packages you download from the Excloud repository are authentic.

   curl -fsSL https://repo.excloud.in/RepoKey.gpg \
     | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/excloud-apt.gpg

2. Add the Excloud Repository: This command adds the Excloud software repository to your system’s APT sources. This allows apt to find and install packages from Excloud.

   echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/excloud-apt.gpg] \
     https://repo.excloud.in stable main" \
     | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/excloud.list

3. Update Package List and Install: First, update your local package list to include the latest packages from all configured repositories, including the newly added Excloud repository. Then, install the exc-instance-connect package.

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install exc-instance-connect

After completing these steps, the exc-instance-connect tool will be available on your system, allowing you to securely connect to your instances.

Important Note for New Instances#

Instances created recently (after June 2025) come with the necessary components for Instance Connect pre-installed. The exc-instance-connect utility installation steps outlined above are primarily for connecting to older instances that were launched before this update.

If you are working with newly launched instances, you may not need to perform the installation steps for the exc-instance-connect tool on your client machine, assuming the instance itself is already prepared for Instance Connect.

Key Benefits#

• Keyless Access: Connect to instances without pre-configuring SSH keys on them.
• Enhanced Security: Reduces the risk associated with compromised or poorly managed SSH keys by using short-lived credentials.
• Centralized Control: (Assuming integration with an IAM-like system) Access can be managed centrally, making it easier to grant or revoke permissions.
• Auditability: Connection attempts can be logged, providing an audit trail for security and compliance.