SSH Access to Running Containers

Cloudflare Containers now supports SSH connections via Wrangler, simplifying debugging and inspection workflows. Developers can connect to live instances to inspect running processes, execute commands, or troubleshoot issues directly.

Configuration

To enable SSH access, you'll need to:

1. Enable SSH in your configuration - Add wrangler_ssh.enabled = true to your wrangler.toml or wrangler.jsonc
2. Add authorized keys - Configure your ssh-ed25519 public key in the authorized_keys section
3. Connect to instances - Use wrangler containers ssh <INSTANCE_ID> to open an interactive session

Connection Methods

The feature supports both interactive and non-interactive usage:

• Interactive shell: wrangler containers ssh <INSTANCE_ID> opens a full terminal session
• Single commands: wrangler containers ssh <INSTANCE_ID> -- ls -al executes a command and returns output without opening a shell

Use wrangler containers instances <APPLICATION> to discover available instance IDs.

Use Cases

This capability is particularly useful for:

• Live debugging of running container instances
• Process inspection without redeployment
• One-off maintenance commands in production environments
• Troubleshooting application behavior in real-time