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SSH Issues

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”REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED”

This happens when a new pod reuses an SSH port previously used by a deleted pod. Fix: Remove the stale host key: 
ssh-keygen -R "[sg-dev-v2.instapods.app]:PORT"
Then reconnect. The CLI handles this automatically when you delete a pod via instapod pods delete.

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”Permission denied (publickey)”

Your SSH key isn’t authorized on the pod. Fix: Add your key: 
instapod ssh-keys add my-app
Or add it via the dashboard’s SSH tab.

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SSH connection timeout

The pod may be stopped, or the SSH port might be blocked. Fix:
  1. Check pod status: instapod pods get my-app
  2. If stopped, start it: instapod pods start my-app
  3. Verify you’re using the correct port

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Pod Issues

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Pod stuck in “creating” state

Rarely, a pod creation can get stuck if the underlying container fails to start. Fix: Delete the pod and create a new one: 
instapod pods delete my-app -f
instapod pods create my-app --preset nodejs

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Application not responding on the public URL

Check that your application is listening on the correct port:
PresetRequired Port
Static80 (handled by nginx)
PHP80 (handled by nginx + PHP-FPM)
Node.js3000
Python8000
For Node.js and Python, your app must bind to 0.0.0.0 (not 127.0.0.1 or localhost): 
// Node.js — correct
app.listen(3000, '0.0.0.0');

// Node.js — incorrect (won't be accessible)
app.listen(3000, 'localhost');

# Python — correct
app.run(host='0.0.0.0', port=8000)

# Python — incorrect
app.run(host='127.0.0.1', port=8000)

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Pod shows “suspended” status

Your team’s subscription is suspended due to unpaid invoices. Fix: Go to Billing in the dashboard and pay the outstanding invoice. After payment, manually start your pods.

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Service Issues

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Service stuck in “installing”

Service installation runs in the background and typically takes 8–15 seconds. If it’s been more than a minute:
  1. Check the service status: instapod services list my-app
  2. If it shows “error”, the installation failed — check the error message
  3. Try removing and reinstalling: 
    # Via API
curl -X DELETE https://api.instapods.com/api/pods/my-app/services/mysql \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

instapod services add my-app --service mysql --wait

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“Plan does not allow services”

You’re on the Starter plan, which doesn’t support database services. Fix: Upgrade to the Developer or Professional plan from the billing page.

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File Issues

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Files not appearing after upload

If you uploaded files via SCP or the CLI but they don’t appear in the dashboard file browser:
  1. Verify the file path — the file browser starts from the pod’s app root (/home/instapod/app)
  2. Check file permissions: instapod exec my-app -- ls -la /home/instapod/app/
  3. Make sure you uploaded to the correct directory (PHP uses /home/instapod/app/public for web files)

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“Permission denied” when writing files

Files in the app directory should be owned by the instapod user. If they’re owned by root: 
instapod exec my-app -- sudo chown -R instapod:instapod /home/instapod/app

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Domain Issues

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Domain verification failing

  1. Check that the DNS record has propagated: dig CNAME app.example.com or dig TXT _instapods.app.example.com
  2. Ensure the record matches exactly what InstaPods expects (shown on the domains page)
  3. Wait a few minutes and try again — DNS propagation can take time

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SSL certificate not provisioning

After domain verification, SSL provisioning runs via certbot. If it fails:
  1. Ensure the domain points to the correct server IP
  2. Check that ports 80 and 443 are accessible
  3. Try removing and re-adding the domain

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Getting Help

If your issue isn’t covered here:
  • Check the pod’s Events tab for error details
  • Check pod Logs for application-level errors
  • Contact support through the dashboard