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Introduction

An SSH key pair consists of a public key and a private key. The public key is used to encrypt data, and only the corresponding private key can decrypt it. This setup is commonly used for secure authentication. Below are the steps to generate an SSH key pair on macOS.

<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Note: We only approve secure SSH connections using SSH keys to our servers. This ensures enhanced security and authentication. Follow the steps below to generate an SSH key pair and use it for secure connections.

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Your public key will start with something like this:

ssh-ed25519 AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAA...

Generating an SSH Key on macOS

1. Open Terminal:
   • On your Mac, open the Terminal application. You can find it in the Applications > Utilities folder or search for it using Spotlight.
2. Generate a New SSH Key:

   • Use the following command to generate a new SSH key pair:

     ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
     
     

   • Replace [email protected] with your actual email address. This email address is used as a label for the key.

3. Specify the File Location:
   • When prompted to "Enter a file in which to save the key," simply press Enter. This will save the key in the default location, which is ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.
4. Enter a Passphrase (Optional):
   • You will be prompted to enter a passphrase. While this step is optional, it is highly recommended to add an extra layer of security. If you prefer not to use a passphrase, press Enter twice to skip this step.
5. Copy the Public Key:

   • Once the key pair is generated, you need to copy the public key to your clipboard. Use the following command to do so:

     pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
     
     

   • This command copies the contents of your public key file to the clipboard.

Generating an SSH Key on Windows

1. Open PowerShell:

   • Right-click the Start button and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).

2. Install OpenSSH (if not already installed):

   • Ensure OpenSSH is installed by running the following command:

     Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object Name -like 'OpenSSH*'
     
     

   • If OpenSSH is not listed as installed, you can install it with:

     Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name OpenSSH.Client*
     
     

3. Generate a New SSH Key:

   • Use the following command to generate a new SSH key pair:

     ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
     
     

   • Replace [email protected] with your actual email address. This email address is used as a label for the key.

4. Specify the File Location:

   • When prompted to "Enter a file in which to save the key," press Enter to save it in the default location, which is C:\\\\Users\\\\YourUserName\\\\.ssh\\\\id_ed25519.

5. Enter a Passphrase (Optional):

   • You will be prompted to enter a passphrase. While this step is optional, it is highly recommended to add an extra layer of security. If you prefer not to use a passphrase, press Enter twice to skip this step.

6. Copy the Public Key:

   • To copy the public key to the clipboard, use the following command:

     Get-Content C:\\\\Users\\\\YourUserName\\\\.ssh\\\\id_ed25519.pub | clip
     
     

   • This command copies the contents of your public key file to the clipboard.