> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.instapods.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Exec & SSH

> Run commands and manage SSH access from the CLI.

## Execute Commands

Run a command inside a pod via the API (no SSH key needed):

```bash theme={null}
instapods exec my-app -- ls -la /home/instapod/app
instapods exec my-app -- npm install
instapods exec my-app -- python manage.py migrate
```

The `--` separator is required to prevent flag parsing conflicts. Commands run as the `instapod` user.

If a command fails, both stdout and stderr are displayed so you can see the actual error message — not just the exit code.

### Examples

```bash theme={null}
# Check Node.js version
instapods exec my-app -- node --version

# Install Python dependencies
instapods exec my-app -- /home/instapod/app/venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run a database migration
instapods exec my-app -- php artisan migrate

# Check disk usage
instapods exec my-app -- df -h

# Run a shell command with pipes
instapods exec my-app -- bash -c "cat /etc/os-release | head -5"
```

## SSH Keys

### List SSH Keys

List SSH keys on a specific pod:

```bash theme={null}
instapods ssh-keys list my-app
```

List your account-level SSH keys (no pod name):

```bash theme={null}
instapods ssh-keys list
```

### Add an SSH Key

Push your local SSH public key to a pod:

```bash theme={null}
# Use default key (~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub or ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub)
instapods ssh-keys add my-app

# Use a specific key file
instapods ssh-keys add my-app --key ~/.ssh/custom_key.pub
```

The CLI auto-detects keys in this priority order: `id_ed25519.pub`, `id_rsa.pub`, `id_ecdsa.pub`.

After adding a key, the CLI shows the SSH command you can use to connect:

```
Adding key: ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
Key added to pod my-app

Connect with:
  ssh instapod@my-app.nbg1-1.instapods.app -p 2237
```

### Remove an SSH Key

Remove an account-level SSH key by ID:

```bash theme={null}
instapods ssh-keys remove KEY_ID
```

## SSH Connection

Once your key is added, connect via SSH:

```bash theme={null}
instapods ssh my-app
```

Or manually using the pod's SSH details:

```bash theme={null}
ssh instapod@nbg1-1.instapods.app -p PORT
```

Find the SSH port via:

```bash theme={null}
instapods pods get my-app
```

### SSH Security

InstaPods uses **Trust On First Use (TOFU)** for SSH host key verification:

* On first connection, the host key is automatically accepted and saved
* On subsequent connections, the key is verified against the saved copy
* If the key changes (which shouldn't happen for a running pod), you'll get a warning

<Note>
  When you delete a pod, the CLI automatically cleans up the old host key from your `~/.ssh/known_hosts` file to prevent conflicts. Deleted pod SSH ports are reserved for 7 days before reuse.
</Note>