Getting ready

Linux and Mac users will need to ensure ssh-keygen is installed on their system (almost all distributions have this installed by default). Windows users will need to download and install the PuTTYGen tool.

How to do it...

Generate an SSH key from a Linux/Mac Client as follows:

How it works...

RSA keys have become a standard for securing client/server connections for any service which chooses to take advantage of it. A client generates a key pair—a private key file and a public key file (an optional pass-phrase can be specified for enhanced security). Now, any server administrator can request that client's public key and add it to their system. The client can then securely authenticate without typing in a password.

There's more...

RSA key authentication is most often associated with SSH access, and is often referred to as SSH keys but that is misleading. RSA keys are generic and not specific to SSH. Although SSH often uses them, RSA keys can be used by any type of service that chooses to support them, such as VPN, VoIP, FTP, and so on.

See also