---
layout: "docs"
page_title: "Provisioner Connections"
sidebar_current: "docs-provisioners-connection"
description: |-
  Managing connection defaults for SSH and WinRM using the `connection` block.
---

# Provisioner Connections

Many provisioners require access to the remote resource. For example,
a provisioner may need to use SSH or WinRM to connect to the resource.

Terraform uses a number of defaults when connecting to a resource, but these
can be overridden using a `connection` block in either a `resource` or `provisioner`.
Any `connection` information provided in a `resource` will apply to all the
provisioners, but it can be scoped to a single provisioner as well. One use case
is to have an initial provisioner connect as the `root` user to setup user accounts, and have
subsequent provisioners connect as a user with more limited permissions.

## Example usage

```
# Copies the file as the root user using SSH
provisioner "file" {
    source = "conf/myapp.conf"
    destination = "/etc/myapp.conf"
    connection {
        type = "ssh"
        user = "root"
        password = "${var.root_password}"
    }
}

# Copies the file as the Administrator user using WinRM
provisioner "file" {
    source = "conf/myapp.conf"
    destination = "C:/App/myapp.conf"
    connection {
        type = "winrm"
        user = "Administrator"
        password = "${var.admin_password}"
    }
}
```

## Argument Reference

**The following arguments are supported by all connection types:**

* `type` - The connection type that should be used. Valid types are `ssh` and `winrm`
  Defaults to `ssh`.

* `user` - The user that we should use for the connection. Defaults to `root` when
  using type `ssh` and defaults to `Administrator` when using type `winrm`.

* `password` - The password we should use for the connection. In some cases this is
  specified by the provider.

* `host` - The address of the resource to connect to. This is usually specified by the provider.

* `port` - The port to connect to. Defaults to `22` when using type `ssh` and defaults
  to `5985` when using type `winrm`.

* `timeout` - The timeout to wait for the connection to become available. This defaults
  to 5 minutes. Should be provided as a string like `30s` or `5m`.

* `script_path` - The path used to copy scripts meant for remote execution.

**Additional arguments only supported by the `ssh` connection type:**

* `private_key` - The contents of an SSH key to use for the connection. These can
  be loaded from a file on disk using the [`file()` interpolation
  function](/docs/configuration/interpolation.html#file_path_). This takes
  preference over the password if provided.

* `agent` - Set to `false` to disable using `ssh-agent` to authenticate. On Windows the
  only supported SSH authentication agent is
  [Pageant](http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.66/htmldoc/Chapter9.html#pageant).

**Additional arguments only supported by the `winrm` connection type:**

* `https` - Set to `true` to connect using HTTPS instead of HTTP.

* `insecure` - Set to `true` to not validate the HTTPS certificate chain.

* `cacert` - The CA certificate to validate against.

<a id="bastion"></a>
## Connecting through a Bastion Host with SSH

The `ssh` connection also supports the following fields to facilitate connnections via a
[bastion host](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastion_host).

* `bastion_host` - Setting this enables the bastion Host connection. This host
  will be connected to first, and then the `host` connection will be made from there.

* `bastion_port` - The port to use connect to the bastion host. Defaults to the
  value of the `port` field.

* `bastion_user` - The user for the connection to the bastion host. Defaults to
  the value of the `user` field.

* `bastion_password` - The password we should use for the bastion host.
  Defaults to the value of the `password` field.

* `bastion_private_key` - The contents of an SSH key file to use for the bastion
  host. These can be loaded from a file on disk using the [`file()`
  interpolation function](/docs/configuration/interpolation.html#file_path_).
  Defaults to the value of the `private_key` field.

## Deprecations

These fields are supported for backwards compatibility and may be removed in a
future version:

* `key_file` - A path to or the contents of an SSH key to use for the
  connection. These can be loaded from a file on disk using the [`file()`
  interpolation function](/docs/configuration/interpolation.html#file_path_).
  This takes preference over the password, if provided.

* `bastion_key_file` - The contents of an SSH key file to use for the bastion
  host. These can be loaded from a file on disk using the [`file()`
  interpolation function](/docs/configuration/interpolation.html#file_path_).
  Defaults to the value of the `key_file` field.