SSH key

Learn to create an SSH key and add it to GitHub.

What Is an SSH Key?

An SSH key is a key pair used to authenticate securely between your computer and a remote server. This pair consists of a private key and a public key.

Private key  --> Your computer
Public key   --> GitHub

The private key is kept secret on your computer. The public key can be added to your GitHub account.

Generating Keys with ssh-keygen

ssh-keygen is a command-line tool used to generate an SSH key pair. When you run it, you can choose where to save the keys and optionally set a passphrase.

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "ali@example.com"

Ed25519 is an algorithm used for modern SSH keys. The file with the .pub extension is the public key.

Exercise Prepare an SSH Key Generation Command

Store an SSH key generation command using the Ed25519 algorithm and an email comment in a JavaScript variable. The command must be ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "ali@example.com". Print the result.

Show example solution

const sshCommand = 'ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "ali@example.com"';

console.log(sshCommand);

Test yourself

Which SSH key should be added to your GitHub account?
- The passwords of both keys
- The Git configuration file
- The private key
- The public key
Show answer

The public key — The public key is added to GitHub. The private key must remain on your computer and should never be shared.

Identify the Public Key File

ssh-keygen -t ed25519
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519____.pub

Show answer

ssh-keygen -t ed25519
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519id_ed25519.pub

SSH Key Components

ssh-keygen

Generates a key pair
Private key

The key that must remain secret
Public key

The key added to GitHub
Ed25519

An SSH key algorithm

Next lesson: Summary - GitHub account

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