You can use a variety of methods to connect to an instance, including VNC and third-party client tools. Select a method to connect to your instance based on the operating system of your instance, the operating system of your local machine, and the operations that you want to perform.

Connection methods

Operating system of your instance Operating system of your local machine Connection method
Linux Windows
Unix-like operating systems such as Linux and macOS
Operating systems of mobile devices, such as iOS and Android Apps such as SSH Control Lite and JuiceSSH

For more information, see Connect to a Linux instance from a mobile device.

Windows Windows
Linux
MacOS
Operating systems of mobile devices, such as iOS and Android Apps such as Microsoft Remote Desktop

For more information, see Connect to a Windows instance from a mobile device.

Note
  • Except for VNC, all other connection tools require that the instances have public IP addresses or elastic IP addresses (EIPs) assigned.
  • After a Windows instance is created, it takes two to three minutes to initialize the operating system. Do not restart the instance when it is being initialized. After a non-I/O optimized Windows instance is created, it takes 10 minutes to initialize the operating system. Do not connect to the instance when it is being initialized.

Comparison of connection tools

The following table compares the advantages of VNC and other third-party client tools.

Item VNC Third-party client tool
Allocation of a public IP address or an EIP to the instance Optional. VNC can be used to troubleshoot exceptions including network misconfigurations, such as firewall being enabled by mistake. Required.
Enabling services such as SSH on the instance Optional. VNC can be used to troubleshoot exceptions including SSH service exceptions, such as SSHD being disabled. Required.
Logon by using the ECS console Supported. Not supported. The local client must be installed.
Independence of the instance operating system VNC can be used to connect to both Linux and Windows instances. Depends on the client tool.
Simultaneous logons by multiple operating system users to a single instance Not supported. Depends on the client tool.
Ease of interaction VNC does not allow you to copy and paste text. To copy and paste text, use the feature for copying long commands. Depends on the client tool.
Visually viewing Linux system file resources Not supported. Depends on the client tool.
Permissions to control and modify hardware Supported. VNC can be used to manage resources such as BIOS and troubleshoot exceptions such as system startup failure. Not supported.
Terminal configurability Not supported. Supported, but detailed capabilities depend on the client tool.