SSH Configuration

SSH Daemon (sshd) Configuration File

The SSH daemon settings can be entirely configured through its configuration file located at /etc/ssh/sshd_config. Use a text editor to modify it.

Recommended settings:

PermitRootLogin no
PubkeyAuthentication yes
AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys
PasswordAuthentication no

How To Use SSH Keys

The client creates a private key and sends a public key to the server.

Private <-> Client

Public <-> Server

1. Create key pair in client

$ ssh-keygen -b 4096

2. Copy public key to server

$ ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/mykey.pub user@127.0.2.1

3. Start SSH authentication agent

$ eval $(ssh-agent -s)

4. Add private key to ssh-agent

$ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa