diff --git a/compute/src/main/clojure/org/jclouds/modules.clj b/compute/src/main/clojure/org/jclouds/modules.clj
index d7f3aa1140..b9d524e265 100644
--- a/compute/src/main/clojure/org/jclouds/modules.clj
+++ b/compute/src/main/clojure/org/jclouds/modules.clj
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
    [org.jclouds.ssh SshClient ExecResponse]
    com.google.inject.Module
    com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet
+   org.jclouds.domain.Credentials
    org.jclouds.net.IPSocket
    [org.jclouds.compute ComputeService ComputeServiceContextFactory StandaloneComputeServiceContextSpec]
    [java.util Set Map]
@@ -75,6 +76,9 @@
   [ctor]
   (reify
    org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient$Factory
+   (^org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient create
+    [_ ^IPSocket socket ^Credentials credentials]
+    (ctor socket credentials))
    (^org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient create
     [_ ^IPSocket socket ^String username ^String password-or-key]
     (ctor socket username password-or-key))
diff --git a/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/SshClient.java b/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/SshClient.java
index ca9c82b99d..25ccc1f84e 100644
--- a/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/SshClient.java
+++ b/compute/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/SshClient.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ package org.jclouds.ssh;
 import javax.annotation.PostConstruct;
 import javax.annotation.PreDestroy;
 
+import org.jclouds.domain.Credentials;
 import org.jclouds.io.Payload;
 import org.jclouds.net.IPSocket;
 
@@ -31,9 +32,24 @@ import org.jclouds.net.IPSocket;
 public interface SshClient {
 
    interface Factory {
+      /**
+       * please use {@link Factory#create(IPSocket, Credentials)}
+       * 
+       * @return
+       */
+      @Deprecated
       SshClient create(IPSocket socket, String username, String password);
 
+      /**
+       * please use {@link Factory#create(IPSocket, Credentials)}
+       * 
+       * @return
+       */
+      @Deprecated
       SshClient create(IPSocket socket, String username, byte[] privateKey);
+
+      SshClient create(IPSocket socket, Credentials credentials);
+
    }
 
    String getUsername();
diff --git a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModule.java b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModule.java
index b0171402e9..a594f1cab7 100755
--- a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModule.java
+++ b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/main/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModule.java
@@ -19,16 +19,19 @@
 
 package org.jclouds.ssh.jsch.config;
 
+import static org.jclouds.util.Utils.isPrivateKeyCredential;
+
 import javax.inject.Named;
 
 import org.jclouds.Constants;
+import org.jclouds.domain.Credentials;
 import org.jclouds.http.handlers.BackoffLimitedRetryHandler;
 import org.jclouds.net.IPSocket;
+import org.jclouds.predicates.InetSocketAddressConnect;
 import org.jclouds.predicates.SocketOpen;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.ConfiguresSshClient;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.jsch.JschSshClient;
-import org.jclouds.ssh.jsch.predicates.InetSocketAddressConnect;
 
 import com.google.inject.AbstractModule;
 import com.google.inject.Inject;
@@ -74,5 +77,10 @@ public class JschSshClientModule extends AbstractModule {
          return client;
       }
 
+      @Override
+      public SshClient create(IPSocket socket, Credentials credentials) {
+         return isPrivateKeyCredential(credentials) ? create(socket, credentials.identity,
+               credentials.credential.getBytes()) : create(socket, credentials.identity, credentials.credential);
+      }
    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientLiveTest.java b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientLiveTest.java
index dd02cf693f..921f7a98e3 100644
--- a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientLiveTest.java
+++ b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientLiveTest.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import java.io.FileInputStream;
 import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 
+import org.jclouds.domain.Credentials;
 import org.jclouds.io.Payload;
 import org.jclouds.io.Payloads;
 import org.jclouds.net.IPSocket;
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ public class JschSshClientLiveTest {
 
             @Override
             public void put(String path, String contents) {
-               
+
             }
 
          };
@@ -110,10 +111,10 @@ public class JschSshClientLiveTest {
          SshClient.Factory factory = i.getInstance(SshClient.Factory.class);
          SshClient connection;
          if (sshKeyFile != null && !sshKeyFile.trim().equals("")) {
-            connection = factory.create(new IPSocket(sshHost, port), sshUser, Utils.toStringAndClose(
-                  new FileInputStream(sshKeyFile)).getBytes());
+            connection = factory.create(new IPSocket(sshHost, port),
+                  new Credentials(sshUser, Utils.toStringAndClose(new FileInputStream(sshKeyFile))));
          } else {
-            connection = factory.create(new IPSocket(sshHost, port), sshUser, sshPass);
+            connection = factory.create(new IPSocket(sshHost, port), new Credentials(sshUser, sshPass));
          }
          connection.connect();
          return connection;
diff --git a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientTest.java b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientTest.java
index fa97413d05..e40cf73b68 100644
--- a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientTest.java
+++ b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/JschSshClientTest.java
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.ConnectException;
 import java.net.UnknownHostException;
 
+import org.jclouds.domain.Credentials;
 import org.jclouds.net.IPSocket;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.jsch.config.JschSshClientModule;
@@ -51,8 +52,8 @@ public class JschSshClientTest {
    protected JschSshClient createClient() throws UnknownHostException {
       Injector i = Guice.createInjector(module());
       SshClient.Factory factory = i.getInstance(SshClient.Factory.class);
-      JschSshClient ssh = JschSshClient.class.cast(factory.create(new IPSocket("localhost", 22),
-               "username", "password"));
+      JschSshClient ssh = JschSshClient.class.cast(factory.create(new IPSocket("localhost", 22), new Credentials(
+            "username", "password")));
       return ssh;
    }
 
@@ -68,10 +69,8 @@ public class JschSshClientTest {
    }
 
    public void testExceptionMessagesRetry() {
-      assert ssh.shouldRetry(new JSchException(
-               "Session.connect: java.io.IOException: End of IO Stream Read"));
+      assert ssh.shouldRetry(new JSchException("Session.connect: java.io.IOException: End of IO Stream Read"));
       assert ssh.shouldRetry(new JSchException("Session.connect: invalid data"));
-      assert ssh.shouldRetry(new JSchException(
-               "Session.connect: java.net.SocketException: Connection reset"));
+      assert ssh.shouldRetry(new JSchException("Session.connect: java.net.SocketException: Connection reset"));
    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModuleTest.java b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModuleTest.java
index 9e537e9fe5..1eb6deffe7 100644
--- a/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModuleTest.java
+++ b/extensions/ssh/jsch/src/test/java/org/jclouds/ssh/jsch/config/JschSshClientModuleTest.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ package org.jclouds.ssh.jsch.config;
 
 import java.net.UnknownHostException;
 
+import org.jclouds.domain.Credentials;
 import org.jclouds.net.IPSocket;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.SshClient;
 import org.jclouds.ssh.jsch.JschSshClient;
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ public class JschSshClientModuleTest {
 
       Injector i = Guice.createInjector(new JschSshClientModule());
       SshClient.Factory factory = i.getInstance(SshClient.Factory.class);
-      SshClient connection = factory.create(new IPSocket("localhost", 22), "username", "password");
+      SshClient connection = factory.create(new IPSocket("localhost", 22), new Credentials("username", "password"));
       assert connection instanceof JschSshClient;
    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file