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Getting Your First Instance Running

This guide walks you through creating a Strettch Cloud account and deploying your first compute instance. You will have a running virtual machine accessible via web console and SSH in less than 5 minutes. By the end of this guide, you will have:
  • A verified Strettch Cloud account
  • A running compute instance with public IP
  • Terminal access through both web console and SSH

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Step 1: Create Your Account

Visit https://console.cloud.strettch.com/ to begin.

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Choose Your Sign-In Method

Strettch Cloud supports two authentication providers to make team collaboration easier:

Sign in with GitHub

Use your GitHub account to authenticate

Sign in with Google

Use your Google account to authenticate
Click your preferred option to continue.

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Verify Your Phone Number

After authenticating, you will be prompted to add your phone number. Phone verification serves as a second layer of identification to maintain platform integrity.
  1. Enter your phone number in international format (e.g., +250788123456)
  2. Click Send Verification Code
  3. Choose where to receive your verification code:
    • WhatsApp: Receive code via WhatsApp message
    • SMS: Receive code via text message
Non-Rwandan Phone Numbers: If your phone number does not start with +250, only WhatsApp verification is available. The verification code will be sent automatically to your WhatsApp.
  1. Enter the verification code you received
  2. Complete account setup
Your account is now active and ready to use.

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Step 2: Create Your First Compute Instance

After account verification, you will be directed to the Computes dashboard.

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Start the Creation Process

Click the New Compute button to open the compute creation page.

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Configure Your Instance

You will need to make several configuration choices. Here are the key decisions:

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1. Choose Your Operating System

Select the Linux distribution you want to run. Currently, we offer Ubuntu 22 LTS and Ubuntu 24 LTS. Additional distributions (Debian and others) will be available in the coming months. Both Ubuntu versions are Long Term Support (LTS) releases, making them reliable choices for production applications.

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2. Select Instance Specifications

Choose your compute specifications based on your workload:
  • CPU: Number of processing cores
  • RAM: Memory allocation
  • Storage: Disk space
Pricing appears next to each configuration option. Costs are shown in Rwandan Francs (RWF).
Start with smaller specifications for testing. You can always create new instances with different specs as your needs grow.
Enable the public IP option to make your instance accessible from the internet.
Additional Cost: Public IP addresses are billed separately from compute resources. This is required for SSH access from outside the Strettch Cloud network. Check current pricing in your dashboard.
Without a public IP, you can only access your instance through the web console or by setting up a VPN.

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4. Set Root Password

Create a secure password for the root user account.
Save Your Password: Strettch Cloud does not send password reminders via email. Store your password in a secure location. If you forget it, you can reset it using web console access.

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5. Name Your Instance

Give your compute instance a descriptive name that helps you identify its purpose (e.g., “production-api”, “testing-server”, “wordpress-site”).

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Complete the Creation

Review your configuration and verify you have sufficient account balance. Click Create Compute to provision your instance.
Insufficient Balance: If you do not have enough credits, you will be prompted to add funds before the instance can be created. See Paying Your Bill for payment options.
Instance creation typically takes 1-2 minutes. You will be redirected to the Computes dashboard where you can monitor the provisioning status.

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Step 3: Access Your Instance

Once your instance is running, you have two ways to access it.

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Option 1: Web Console Access

The web console provides browser-based terminal access to your instance. This works for all instances regardless of network configuration.
  1. Click on your compute instance name in the dashboard
  2. Click the Console button in the left menu
  3. A new browser tab opens with a terminal interface
You will be automatically logged in—no password required. This is handled securely by our agent running on your instance. The web console is ready to use immediately after your instance is created.

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Option 2: SSH Access

SSH provides direct terminal access from your local computer. This requires a public IP address. Open your terminal and run this command: 
ssh root@<your-public-ip> -p 222
Replace <your-public-ip> with the IP address shown on your compute details page. Example: 
ssh root@41.74.168.123 -p 222
When prompted, enter the root password you created during setup.
Port 222: Strettch Cloud uses port 222 instead of the default port 22 for SSH access due to a firewall restriction from our upstream internet provider. This applies to most connections. However, if you are connecting from within certain networks (such as MTN in Rwanda), you may be able to connect using the default port 22 without specifying -p 222.
VPN Required for Private Instances: If you did not add a public IP, SSH access requires setting up a VPN connection to the Strettch Cloud network. Use the web console instead for immediate access.
You now have a running compute instance on African infrastructure with full terminal access.

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Next Steps

Your instance is ready for use. Here are recommended next actions:

Point Your Domain

Configure DNS records to direct your domain to your new instance

Invite Team Members

Add collaborators and assign roles for team-based infrastructure management

Monitor Performance

View real-time metrics for CPU, memory, network, and disk usage

Learn About Pricing

Understand billing, payment methods, and how to manage your account balance

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Getting Help

If you encounter issues during setup or have questions: Our support team is based in Africa and familiar with local infrastructure challenges.