Your Server Says "Running." So Why Can't You Connect?

A simple guide to cloud networking: VCNs, subnets, route tables, gateways, and security lists, using one mental model that actually makes sense.

Your instance is up. The dashboard shows a calm green RUNNING. No errors. No red flags. Nothing looks wrong.

So you try to connect. You open a terminal, type ssh, and hit enter. Nothing happens. It just hangs. Then it dies: Connection timed out.

You try again. Same thing. Nothing changed, but now doubt creeps in. Wrong key? Wrong IP? Wrong username? You check all of it. It's fine. You try a third time anyway, and now you're just confused.

Here's the real answer. It's not a typo. "On" and "reachable" are two different things.