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Common questions

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How to open a port on your server

By default a new Gewape Cloud server blocks almost all incoming traffic. That is on purpose: it keeps the server safe until you decide what should reach it. When you want visitors to load a website, an app to accept connections, or to log in over SSH, you open the matching port by adding a rule to a security group, then attaching that group to the server. A security group is a named set of firewall rules. You can reuse one group across many servers, so give them clear names like web for anything serving HTTP and HTTPS. Open the port 1. Sign in to the console at platform.gewape.cloud. 2. In the left menu open Networking, then Security Groups. 3. Open the security group your server already uses, or click Create Security Group and give it a name and short description. 4. Go to the Rules tab and click Create Rule. 5. Fill in the rule: - Direction: Ingress (traffic coming into your server). - Ether Type: IPv4. - IP Protocol: TCP covers most web and SSH traffic. Choose UDP or ICMP only if your app needs them. - Port or Port Range: the port to open. The common ones are 80 for HTTP, 443 for HTTPS, and 22 for SSH. You can also open a range like 8000:8010. - Remote Type: CIDR. Set Remote IP Prefix to 0.0.0.0/0 if anyone on the internet should reach it, or lock it to a single address such as 41.90.10.12/32 for just your office. 6. Click OK. The rule takes effect right away, with no reboot. Attach the group to your server A rule does nothing until its security group is attached to a server. 1. Open Cloud Servers and click the server you want. 2. From the actions menu choose Manage Security Group. 3. Move your security group into the selected list and save. If it still will not connect Check that the server has a public address (see Give your server a public address) and that the service inside the server is running and listening on that port. My server cannot be reached covers the usual causes. One habit worth keeping: open only the ports you use, and set Remote IP Prefix to specific addresses where you can. Leaving SSH open to the whole internet invites constant login attempts.

Last updated on Jul 14, 2026

How to reset your authenticator (2FA) app

Your sign-in is protected by Gewape ID, our single sign-on. Two-factor authentication (the 6-digit code from an app like Google Authenticator, Authy or Microsoft Authenticator) is tied to your Gewape ID, not to the cloud console. So you reset it in your Gewape ID account, not in the console. Which path you follow depends on whether you can still sign in. You changed phones but can still sign in Do this before you wipe the old phone, while you still have the codes. 1. Go to https://sso.gewapecloud.com/realms/gewape/account and sign in. 2. Open Account security, then Signing in. 3. Find Authenticator application, click the trash icon to remove the old device, then click Set up authenticator application. 4. A QR code appears. Open the authenticator app on your new phone, scan it, and type the 6-digit code it shows to confirm. Your old phone will stop generating valid codes once you remove it here. You lost the phone and cannot sign in If you no longer have any working code, you cannot remove the old device yourself, so we do it for you. 1. Contact support: use the chat on this help center or the widget in the console, or email your support address. 2. Ask us to reset your two-factor authentication. We confirm your identity first, for your protection. 3. Once we clear it, sign in with your password and you will be prompted to set up the authenticator again on your new phone. When you set up 2FA, Gewape ID also shows a set of one-time recovery codes. Save them somewhere safe. Any one of them lets you sign in if you lose your phone, without waiting for support.

Last updated on Jul 14, 2026

How to connect to your Cloud Server

Once your Linux server is running you connect to it over SSH using the key you selected when you created it. Three things need to be in place first: a public address, port 22 open, and the private half of your SSH key on your computer. Get the basics in place 1. Give the server a public address if it does not have one yet. See Give your server a public address. Note the Floating IP, for example 41.90.10.12. 2. Open port 22 on the server's security group. See How to open a port on your server. Connect from your computer - Mac or Linux: open a terminal and run ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem ubuntu@41.90.10.12, replacing the key path, user, and IP with your own. - Windows: use the built-in ssh command in PowerShell with the same details, or the PuTTY app if you prefer a graphical client. The login user depends on the operating system you chose: | Operating System | Login user | | --- | --- | | Ubuntu | ubuntu | | Rocky Linux | rocky | | Debian | debian | | AlmaLinux | almalinux | Windows servers do not use SSH. Connect with Remote Desktop using the Administrator password instead. If the connection times out, it is almost always the security group (port 22 not open) or a missing public address. Work through My server cannot be reached. If you see "permission denied (publickey)", you are using the wrong key or the wrong login user for that operating system. You can review and add keys under Cloud Servers, then SSH Keys.

Last updated on Jul 14, 2026

My server cannot be reached

If you cannot reach a server, the cause is nearly always one of four things. Check them in this order and you will usually find it in a minute. 1. Does the server have a public address? A server on a private network has no route from the internet. Open Cloud Servers and look for a Floating IP on the server. If there is none, add one by following Give your server a public address. 2. Is the port open? A fresh server allows very little inbound traffic. Even with a public address, the browser or SSH client cannot get in until the port is open in a security group attached to the server. Open the port you need using How to open a port on your server. Remember that web traffic needs 80 and 443, and SSH needs 22. 3. Is the server actually running? Open Cloud Servers and check the status. It should read Active. If it shows Shutoff, start it from the server's actions menu and give it a minute to boot. 4. Are you looking at the right region? Your resources live in one region, either Nairobi, Kigali or Huye. If the server list looks empty or the server is missing, switch to the region it was created in. If all four check out and it still will not connect, the problem is usually inside the server: the web server or application is not running, or it is listening on a different port than the one you opened. Log in over SSH (see How to connect to your Cloud Server) and check the service. If you are still stuck, contact support with the server name and region.

Last updated on Jul 14, 2026