Linux Guide

Useful commands and tips for the Linux ecosystem.

12. Oct 2023

SSH key-based authentication

How to

Create a new SSH key without a passphrase.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

Copy the SSH key to the remote device you want to log in.

ssh-copy-id -i <ID_RSA> <USER@HOST>

Add the following snippet to your SSH config file which is located at ~/.ssh/config. This links the host address with a specific private key.

Host <IP_ADDRESS>
  User <USER>
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<PRIVATE_KEY>
  IdentitiesOnly yes

SSH Agent

To start the SSH agent manually run the following to commands.

eval $(ssh-agent)
ssh-add ~/.ssh/<PRIVATE_KEY>

To stop the SSH agent lookup the PID and kill the process.

ps aux | grep ssh-agent
kill <SSH_AGENT_PID>