📘Create and Edit SSH Keys

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Environment:
Any Linux-based system
Access Required:
Local or remote shell (SSH) access

🔐 Step 1: Generate SSH Key Pair

Run the following command on your local machine (or wherever the key should be created):

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
  • -t rsa: Specifies RSA algorithm
  • -b 4096: Sets key size to 4096 bits (recommended)

Follow the prompts:

  • Choose the file location (press Enter to use default ~/.ssh/id_rsa)
  • Optionally set a passphrase

📁 Step 2: Set Up .ssh Directory on the Remote Server

SSH into the remote server and run:

mkdir -p ~/.ssh
touch ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

These commands:

  • Create the .ssh folder and file (if missing)
  • Set proper permissions (required for SSH to work correctly)

📝 Step 3: Copy Public Key to the Server

On your local machine, run:

ssh-copy-id username@remote_host

Or manually copy the contents of your public key file (~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub) to the authorized_keys file on the server.

✏️ Step 4: Manually Edit Authorized Keys

If needed, you can manually edit the key file:

vi ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
  • Press i to insert
  • Paste the public key (usually starts with ssh-rsa)
  • Press Esc, then type :wq and press Enter to save and exit

✅ Step 5: Test SSH Access

From your local machine:

ssh username@remote_host

If successful, it should log in without prompting for a password, unless you added a passphrase (in which case, it’ll ask for that).

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