Security Groups

Security groups control network access to your instances.

Use them to allow only the traffic your application needs.

1. Create a security group

Go to:

Menu → Network → Security Groups

Then:

1. Click Create Group
2. Enter a group name, for example web-frontend
3. Optionally add a description
4. Submit the form

2. Add rules

Rules define what traffic is allowed.

Go to:

Menu → Network → Security Groups → Actions → Manage Rules

Then:

1. Click Create Rule
2. Choose the direction
3. Choose the protocol
4. Enter the port
5. Submit the form

Rule options

Selecting TCP & UDP creates two rules: one for TCP and one for UDP.

Common rules

3. Delete rules

To remove a rule:

1. Open the rules list for the security group
2. Open the actions menu for the rule
3. Click Delete Rule

4. Attach security groups to instances

When creating an instance, select one or more security groups.

Rules apply to instances using that group.

Best practices

• Open only the ports your application needs
• Allow SSH only when needed
• Prefer specific rules over broad access
• Review unused rules regularly

Troubleshooting

Rule creation fails

Check that:

• Port is between 1 and 65535
• Required fields are selected
• Duplicate rules are not being created

Cannot connect to an instance

Check that:

• The correct security group is attached
• The rule direction is ingress
• The correct port is allowed
• The instance is running

SSH not working

Check that:

• Port 22 is allowed
• SSH was enabled during instance creation
• The correct keypair was selected

Related

• Networking
• Compute
• Keypairs