Create and host an SSH key | Selectel Documentation (2024)

Create and host anSSH key onacloud server

SSH keys can beused tosecurely server connections over the encrypted SSH protocol. This isakey pair: the private key isstored onthe local computer and the public key isplaced onthe server.

Werecommend using SSH keys instead oflogin and password toauthenticate tothe cloud server.

SSH keys oftypes ed25519, rsa, ecdsa, and dsa can beused.

Create anSSH key pair.
Optional: Add apublic SSH key tothe cloud platform.
The way akey isadded tothe cloud platform affects its availability inprojects, pools, and tousers, aswell asthe way itisplaced onthe server when created. See the table for more details onkey differences SSH keys for project and service user.
Place apublic SSH key onacloud server.

Create SSH keys⁠

Linux/macOS
Windows
OpenStack CLI

Open theCLI.
Generate apair ofSSH keys:
```
ssh-keygen -t <key_type>
```
Specify <key_type>— SSH key type: еd25519, rsa, ecdsa ordsa
Amessage will appear asking you toselect adirectory tostore the key pair— example for rsa key:
See Also
Access an Oracle Cloud Service Using SSH Add SSH keys to VMs | Compute Engine Documentation | Google Cloud IBM Cloud Docs Adding an SSH Key
```
Enter file in which to save the key (~/.ssh/id_rsa):
```
Toleave the default directory for storing keys, click Enter. Ifyou want toselect adifferent directory, enter itinthe format /path/to/id_rsa and press Enter.
Optional: enter apassphrase for additional protection, repeat the passphrase and press Enter:
```
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
```
Wait for the message that the keys have been generated. Two files will becreated: id_rsa (private key) and id_rsa.pub (public key). The key fingerprint and its image will appear inthe terminal:
```
Your identification has been saved in ~/.ssh/id_rsa
Your public key has been saved in ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
The key fingerprint is:
The key's randomart image is:
```
Output the public SSH key:
```
cat <path>
```
Specify <path>— the full path tothe public key you specified instep 3, for example ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.

optional: add apublic SSH key tothe cloud platform⁠

Apublic SSH key can beadded toacloud-based platform and then hosted atthe server creation.

The way akey isadded tothe cloud platform affects its availability inprojects, pools, and tousers, aswell asthe way itisplaced onthe server when created. See the table for more details onkey differences SSH keys for project and service user.

For the project
For the service user

The key will only beavailable inone project, for all users.

Вcontrol panels gotoCloud platform → Access.
Open the tab SSH keys.
Click Add anSSH key.
Enter the name ofthekey.
Insert apublic SSH key inOpenSSH format.
Click Add key.

Host apublic SSH key onacloud server⁠

You can place apublic SSH key bycloud server creation oronanexisting server.

Toaccess the cloud server via SSH, you need toadd apublic SSH key tothe file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys onthe server. You can add multiple keys, for example, ifyou need access for multiple users.

You can place public SSH keys onanexisting server intwo ways:

copy the key tothe server from the local computer using the ssh-copy-id command;
manually place the key onthe server.

Copy apublic SSH key from alocal computer using ssh-copy-id⁠

From Linux/macOS
From Windows

Team ssh-copy-id adds the public SSH key tothe end ofthe file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys. The command creates adirectory and afile ifthey have not already been created.

Open the CLI onthe local computer.
Copy the public SSH key tothe cloud server:
```
ssh-copy-id -i <path> <username>@<ip_address>
```
Specify:
- <path>— the full path tothe public key onthe local computer, e.g. ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub;
- <username>— username;
- <ip_address>— the public IPaddress ofthe server.
Enter the user's password.

Manually place apublic SSH key onthe server⁠

Open the public SSH key file onthe local computer:
- Linux/macOS
- Windows
cat <path>
Specify <path>— the full path tothe public key onthe local computer, e.g. ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
Copy the value ofthe public SSH key.
Connect tothe server.
Gotothe directory .ssh:
```
cd .ssh
```
Create afile authorized_keys:
```
touch authorized_keys
```
Add tothe file authorized_keys public SSH key:
```
echo <public_ssh_key> >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
```
Specify <public_ssh_key>— public SSH key that you copied instep 2. Itstarts with ssh-rsa.

Configure access rights:

chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

SSH keys for project and service user⁠

Apublic SSH key can beadded tothe cloud platform:

for projects;
orfor service user сrole Project Administrator orProject Supervisor.

	SSH key for the project	SSH key for the service user
How add akey tothe cloud platform	Inthe control panel, under Cloud platform → Access	Inthe control panel, under Access control → User management → tab Service users → user page; will beadded automatically when creating SSH keys through the OpenStack CLI (command `openstack keypair create`); through the API; through Terraform; through the selvpc CLI
How tohost onacloud server when server creation	Inthe control panel	Through the OpenStack CLI (openstack server create command); through the API; through Terraform
For which users isitavailable	For all users ofthe project	For one service user with the roles Project Administrator orProject Supervisor
Inwhich projects isitavailable	Inone project.	Inall projects towhich aservice user has been added
What pools are available in	Only inthe pool towhich itwas added	Available inall pools ifadded inthe control panel under Access control → User management → tab Service users → user page; isavailable only inpools towhich itwas added via OpenStack CLI, API, Terraform, selvpc CLI
Where can Isee the list ofkeys	Inthe control panel, under Cloud platform → Access	Inthe control panel, under Access control → User management → tab Service users → user page; through the OpenStack CLI (command `openstack keypair list`); through the API; through Terraform; through the selvpc CLI

Create and host an SSH key | Selectel Documentation (2024)

FAQs

How do I create a SSH host key? ›

5.2 Create a New Host Key

Log in as root.
Terminate any instances of sshd using the server script. ...
Use ssh-keygen to generate a new host key. ...
(Optional) If you use a new host key name and/or location, edit the server configuration file (/etc/ssh2/sshd2_config). ...
Restart the service.

Read On ›

How to create an SSH key? ›

For Windows 10 & 11

Press the Windows key or open up the Start Menu. Type “cmd”.
Under “Best Match”, click “Command Prompt”.
In the command prompt, use the ssh-keygen command: ...
The system will now generate the key pair and display the key fingerprint and a randomart image. ...
Open your file explorer.

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Why is my SSH key invalid? ›

The cause of this error is that the SSH key is corrupt in some way and data pasted into the key field was modified on disk or copied incorrectly. Sometimes, this is due to line breaks being copied. Many tools will wrap the display of an SSH key.

What is a host key and why is it needed for SSH? ›

What are SSH Host Keys? A host key is a cryptographic key used for authenticating computers in the SSH protocol. Host keys are key pairs, typically using the RSA, DSA, or ECDSA algorithms. Public host keys are stored on and/or distributed to SSH clients, and private keys are stored on SSH servers.

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How do I generate a SSH key for a remote server? ›

To generate an SSH key on your Linux server, run the command ssh-keygen . The command can take flags if you would like to customize the type of key that is generated and the signing algorithms that are used to generate the key. This example generates a standard 2048-bit RSA key without a passphrase.

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How to connect SSH with host key? ›

How to use SSH keys for authentication

Set up your first SSH keys. Use SSH keys for authentication when connecting to or even between your servers. ...
Preparing your server. ...
Using OpenSSH to generate a key pair. ...
Using PuTTY to generate a key pair. ...
Turn off password authentication. ...
Conclusions.

Tell Me More ›

How to create a user with SSH key? ›

How to Add Linux SSH Key User

Create a key pair for the new user: ...
Place the generated private key in the local directory: ~/.ssh.
Change to the .ssh directory. ...
Set the permissions on the local key file: ...
Generate a public key from the private key:

More items...

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How do I create a remote SSH? ›

How to Enable an SSH Connection

Go to System Settings.
Click General in the left menu.
Locate and open Sharing.
Enable Remote Login to allow SSH access to the device.

Nov 23, 2023

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How to add SSH key to server? ›

How to add new SSH key to a cloud server

Connect to the server using your current key. ssh cloud-user@1.2.3.4 -i /current_private_ssh_key.
Add a public key to the "authorized_keys" file. You can add a public key to the "authorized_keys" file using "nano" text editor (or any text editor of your choice): ...
Verify new key.

How do I create a valid SSH key? ›

Generating a new SSH key

Open Terminal .
Paste the text below, replacing the email used in the example with your GitHub email address. ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com" ...
At the prompt, type a secure passphrase. For more information, see "Working with SSH key passphrases."

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How do I know if my SSH key is enabled? ›

Checking for existing SSH keys

Open Terminal .
Enter ls -al ~/.ssh to see if existing SSH keys are present. $ ls -al ~/.ssh # Lists the files in your .ssh directory, if they exist.
Check the directory listing to see if you already have a public SSH key. ...
Either generate a new SSH key or upload an existing key.

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What is the SSH key format? ›

An SSH key is a secure access credential used in the Secure Shell (SSH) protocol. SSH key pairs use public key infrastructure (PKI) technology, the gold standard for digital identity authentication and encryption, to provide a secure and scalable method of authentication.

See Details ›

How to create a new SSH key? ›

On workstations with Windows version 10 or later, use the ssh-keygen utility to create a new SSH key pair. The following example creates an RSA key pair. Open Command Prompt and use the ssh-keygen command with the -C flag to create a new SSH key pair.

Get More Info Here ›

How to find host key? ›

How to view and customize your host key

Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
In the navigation panel, click Profile.
Scroll down to the Meeting section.
Select the eye icon next to your Host Key to view your current 6-digit pin.
Click Edit.
Input the new host key desired and click Save.

What is the difference between SSH user keys and host keys? ›

SSH client and host keys are used when an SFTP client attempts to connect and authenticate with an SFTP server. Client keys authenticate the user connecting to an SFTP server. Host keys ensure that the SFTP client is connected to the correct SFTP server. NOTE: Diplomat MFT always acts as the SFTP client.

What is ssh_host_key? ›

SSH host keys

Like SSH keys, the host keys are generated in pairs of public and private keys. They are automatically created when OpenSSH is installed. Usually, they're stored in the /etc/ssh directory with the file names ssh_host_rsa_key , ssh_host_dsa_key , ssh_host_ecdsa_key , and ssh_host_ed25519_key .

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How to add SSH key to remote host? ›

Copying Public Keys to Remote Servers

Use the ssh-copy-id command to append the public key in the local ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub file to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on the remote system, for example: Copy. ssh-copy-id remote_user@host.
When prompted, enter the password for the remote system.

How to generate SSH key and copy to server? ›

Copy the ssh key into remote servers

Open a terminal on your local computer.
Generate an SSH key pair if you haven't already done so by running the command: ssh-keygen . ...
Once the key pair is generated, run the command: ssh-copy-id user@remote_server . ...
You'll be prompted to enter the password for the remote user account.

Apr 8, 2023

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How do I add a host to SSH? ›

To manually add a key for a new host, 1) open the known_hosts file in your text editor and 2) add the key for a new host, following the same format. (The key must match the host you're connecting to. You can query a host for its key using ssh-keyscan -t <type> <address> .)

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