Generating SSH Key in Linux

It is possible to generate SSH key pair in Linux with ssh-keygen command.

A file will be requested wherein the key should be saved along with the passphrase (password) for the key.

whb@host: ssh-keygen -t dsa
Generating public/private dsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/jolt/.ssh/id_dsa):
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Your identification has been saved in id_dsa.
Your public key has been saved in id_dsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
11:9e:ef:f2:14:a9:b9:c8:32:9c:b1:c3:c1:f5:d5:61 jolt@host

This will create a private key saved in /home/jolt/.ssh/id_dsa and a public key saved in /home/jolt/.ssh/id_dsa.pub

The passphrase is used whenever you connect using SSH.

[su_note note_color=”#ffa6bd”]Never reveal your private SSH key. It is acceptable to ask for a public SSH key, which is absolutely safe to divulge.[/su_note]