If you need an introduction to working with terminals and the command line, you can visit our guide A Linux Command Line Primer.

Some familiarity with working with a terminal and the command line.

Note: If you are looking for instructions on how to create SSH keys on a Windows machine that does not have the Windows Subsystem for Linux, please visit our product documentation How to Create SSH Keys with PuTTY on Windows.

Note that while OpenSSH should work for a range of Linux distributions, this tutorial has been tested using Ubuntu 20.04. If you are using Windows, you can find instructions for downloading or updating the Windows Subsystem for Linux on Microsoft’s documentation page. A local machine running one of the following operating systems: macOS, Linux, or Windows with Windows Subsystem for Linux installed.To complete this tutorial, you will need:

If you are already familiar with the command line and looking for instructions on using SSH to connect to a remote server, please see our collection of tutorials on Setting Up SSH Keys for a range of Linux operating systems. After completing this tutorial, you will have SSH keys that can be used to securely set up a server in the tutorial How To Set Up an Ubuntu 20.04 Server on a DigitalOcean Droplet that is part of the Introduction to the Cloud Curriculum. It is written for an audience that is just getting started with the command line and will provide guidance on accessing the terminal on a personal computer. This tutorial will guide you through the steps of creating SSH keys with OpenSSH, a suite of open source SSH tools, on macOS and Linux, as well as on Windows through the use of the Windows Subsystem for Linux. As part of the Secure Shell cryptographic network protocol, SSH keys also enable users to securely perform network services over an unsecured network, such as delivering text-based commands to a remote server or configuring its services. Secure Shell keys - better known as SSH keys - are often used instead of passwords, as they offer a more secure method of connecting to remote Linux servers. While passwords are one way of verifying a user’s identity, passwords have multiple vulnerabilities and can be cracked by a brute force attack. When setting up a remote Linux server, you’ll need to decide upon a method for securely connecting to it.

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