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Accepted
Basil Bourque
Asked: 2019-07-12 20:22:00 +0800 CST

What username for Login to Console on a Digital Ocean Droplet running FreeBSD 12

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As an alternative to making an ssh connection to your Droplet on DigitalOcean, they offer a "Console" which is a VNC connection, akin to plugging a monitor and keyboard into your virtual server.

When opening such a Console window, I am prompted for a login and then password.

Having created my Droplet with a SSH key, I do not know what the login might be, nor what the password might be.

➥ How does one login via the Console to a Droplet on DigitalOcean?

My Droplet is running FreeBSD 12, if that matters.

I have seen the documentation page, How to Regain Access to Droplets using the DigitalOcean Droplet Console. That page does have a section Log In with the Console. But little explanation of the login name or password is given. It mentions:

At the login prompt, enter the user you want to log in as. This will typically be the root user or a user configured with sudo privileges.

But for my new FreeBSD droplet, root did not work as a login name.

If I use the freebsd user, I am stuck at the prompt for a password. There is no password established, so Catch-22.

login: freebsd
Password: 
Login incorrect
login:

…and on it goes.

freebsd

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    tl;dr

    On your Droplet admin page, Access tab, click Reset Root Password button to establish a password for the root user on your FreeBSD system.

    Details

    By default neither of your given users on FreeBSD, freebsd & root, have a password established. This effectively disables remote logins via SSH, good for security.

    Your use of SSH keys automatically logs you in as either user.

    ssh [email protected]

    …or…

    ssh [email protected]

    If you have not gone out of your way to establish passwords for either user, then you must use the Reset Root Password button on the Access tab of your Droplet admin page on DigitalOcean.com. This button will create a password for the root user on your FreeBSD VM if a password does not exist. If a password does exist, the old will be replaced by a new password.

    screenshot of the DigitalOcean.com Droplet administration page, on the Access tab, pointing out the two buttons, "Reset Root User" & "Launch Console".

    After establishing the password, then use the other button on that same panel of the Droplet admin page on Access tab: Launch Console button. This creates a server-local shell session, as if you plugged a keyboard & mouse into the server box. You see the session remotely via a VNC session displayed in your web browser.

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  2. The documentation says that the default username for FreeBSD droplets is freebsd.

    • 2