To connect to a database over SSH using password authentication, your server must be configured to accept password logins.

Server Requirements

The following settings must be enabled in your SSH server configuration. These settings live in /etc/ssh/sshd_config, which exists on Linux and macOS servers (not Windows).

PasswordAuthentication yes
KbdInteractiveAuthentication yes
UsePAM yes

How to Enable Password Authentication

1. Open the SSH config file

Connect to your server and open the SSH daemon configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Or if you prefer vim:

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

2. Update the settings

Find and update each of these settings. They may be commented out (starting with #) or set to no. Change them to:

PasswordAuthentication yes
KbdInteractiveAuthentication yes
UsePAM yes

If a setting doesn't exist in the file, add it at the end.

3. Save and exit

In nano, press Ctrl + X, then Y, then Enter to save.

In vim, press Esc, type :wq, then press Enter.

4. Restart the SSH service

For the changes to take effect, restart the SSH daemon:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo systemctl restart ssh

# CentOS/RHEL/Fedora
sudo systemctl restart sshd

# macOS
sudo launchctl stop com.openssh.sshd
sudo launchctl start com.openssh.sshd

5. Verify the settings

You can confirm the settings are active by running:

sudo sshd -T | grep -E "passwordauthentication|kbdinteractiveauthentication|usepam"

You should see:

passwordauthentication yes
kbdinteractiveauthentication yes
usepam yes

Connecting in DB Pro

Once your server is configured:

1. Create a new connection in DB Pro
2. Enable SSH Tunnel
3. Enter your SSH host, port (usually 22), and username
4. Select Password as the authentication method
5. Enter your SSH password
6. Configure your database connection details
7. Click Test Connection to verify everything works