{"id":6928,"date":"2024-11-12T14:24:52","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T19:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/?p=6928"},"modified":"2026-06-30T14:47:59","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T18:47:59","slug":"passwordless-ssh-with-key-pairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/scs\/2024\/passwordless-ssh-with-key-pairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Passwordless SSH With Key Pairs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Passwordless SSH With Key Pairs\n <\/h1>\n \n \n <\/header>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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\n Table of Contents\n <\/h2>\n
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\n \n 1.\n <\/span>\n\n \n What is an SSH Key Pair?\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n 2.\n <\/span>\n\n \n Why use Key Pairs?\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n 3.\n <\/span>\n\n \n Comparing Password vs Key Pair Authentication\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n 4.\n <\/span>\n\n \n Creating Key Pairs\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n 5.\n <\/span>\n\n \n Authenticating and Connecting with Key Pairs\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n
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\n \n 6.\n <\/span>\n\n \n Advanced Topic: Configuring SSH\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

SSH allows you to securely connect to remote computers and virtual machines. With SSH, you can use a computer remotely through the terminal, transfer files between the server and client, and even run graphical programs using X11 forwarding. By default, you will connect to SSH servers using the username and password associated with your account on the server; however, you can also<\/em> set up something called an SSH Key Pair<\/strong>, which allows you to connect easily and securely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an SSH Key Pair?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the name suggests, a key pair consists of two keys: the public key<\/strong> and the private key<\/strong>. While you can connect to SSH servers using your account username and password, you can also connect using a username and an authorized key pair associated with that username.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your public key<\/strong> acts like a personalized padlock that resides on servers<\/strong>. It is an encrypted file that you can publicly distribute to different servers. When you associate a public key to your account, you are saying that anyone who can unlock the public key can also<\/em> unlock my account without the need for my account password.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your private key<\/strong> is the key that unlocks your public key and is kept on the client<\/strong>. As the name suggests, this is a file that should be private to you and only you. While many private keys do not have file extensions, you may see private keys with the .pem<\/strong> file extension when using cloud services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To protect your private key, you always add a passphrase<\/strong> – a password to protect your private key. If you are using a key for automated purposes on a secured network, then you may need to create a key that does NOT have a passphrase. But this is only in specific circumstances. Any key used for remote access from public networks should always have a passphrase.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why use Key Pairs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Key pairs offer a number of conveniences when you use remote services:<\/p>\n\n\n\n