To create and use SSH keys on Windows, you need to download and install both PuTTY, the utility used to connect to remote servers through SSH, and PuTTYgen, a utility used to create SSH keys. On the PuTTY website, download the.msi file in the Package files section at the top of the page, under MSI (‘Windows Installer’). Next, install it on your local computer by double clicking it and using the. PuTTYgen is an key generator tool for creating SSH keys for PuTTY. It is analogous to the ssh-keygen tool used in some other SSH implementations. The basic function is to create public and private key pairs. PuTTY stores keys in its own format in.ppk files. However, the tool can also convert keys to and from other formats. How to Generate SSH Public/Private Keys on Windows By Alexandru Andrei – Posted on Sep 17, 2019 Sep 17, 2019 in Windows If you ever managed a Linux server from Windows, you probably used PuTTY or at least heard about it.
Table of Contents
Many Git servers authenticate using SSH public keys. In order to provide a public key, each user in your system must generate one if they don’t already have one. This process is similar across all operating systems. First, you should check to make sure you don’t already have a key. Quick steps: Create and use an SSH public-private key pair for Linux VMs in Azure.; 4 minutes to read +4; In this article. With a secure shell (SSH) key pair, you can create virtual machines (VMs) in Azure that use SSH keys for authentication, eliminating the need for passwords to sign in.
Introduction
SSH can handle authentication using a traditional username and password combination or by using a public and private key pair. The SSH key pair establishes trust between the client and server, thereby removing the need for a password during authentication. While not required, the SSH private key can be encrypted with a passphrase for added security.
The PuTTY SSH client for Microsoft Windows does not share the same key format as the OpenSSH client. Therefore, it is necessary to create a new SSH public and private key using the PuTTYgen tool or convert an existing OpenSSH private key.
Requirements
- PuTTY SSH client for Microsoft Windows
- Remote server accessible over OpenSSH
Install PuTTY and PuTTYgen
Both PuTTY and PuTTYgen are required to convert OpenSSH keys and to connect to the server over SSH. These two tools can be downloaded individually or, preferably, as a Windows installer from the PuTTY Download Page.
Once the PuTTY Windows installer is downloaded, double-click the executable in the Download folder and follow the installation wizard. The default settings are suitable for most installations. Both PuTTY and PuTTYgen should now be accessible from the Windows Programs list.
Use Existing Public and Private Keys
If you have an existing OpenSSH public and private key, copy the
id_rsa
key to your Windows desktop. This can be done by copying and pasting the contents of the file or using an SCP client such as PSCP which is supplied with the PuTTY install or FileZilla.Next launch PuTTYgen from the Windows Programs list.
- Click
Conversions
from the PuTTY Key Generator menu and selectImport key
. - Navigate to the OpenSSH private key and click
Open
. - Under
Actions
/Save the generated key
, selectSave private key
. - Choose an optional passphrase to protect the private key.
- Save the private key to the desktop as
id_rsa.ppk
.
If the public key is already appended to the
authorized_keys
file on the remote SSH server, then proceed to Connect to Server with Private Key.Otherwise, proceed to Copy Public Key to Server.
Create New Public and Private Keys
Launch PuTTYgen from the Windows Programs list and proceed with the following steps.
- Under
Parameters
, increase theNumber of bits in a generated key:
to a minimum value of 2048. - Under
Actions
/Generate a public/private key pair
, clickGenerate
. - You will be instructed to move the mouse cursor around within the PuTTY Key Generator window as a randomizer to generate the private key.
- Once the key information appears, click
Save private key
underActions
/Save the generated key
. - Save the private key to the desktop as
id_rsa.ppk
. - The box under
Key
/Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file:
contains the public key.
Copy Public Key to Server
The OpenSSH public key is located in the box under
Key
/ Public key for pasting info OpenSSH authorized_keys file:
. The public key begins with ssh-rsa followed by a string of characters. - Highlight entire public key within the PuTTY Key Generator and copy the text.
- Launch PuTTY and log into the remote server with your existing user credentials.
- Use your preferred text editor to create and/or open the
authorized_keys
file: - Paste the public key into the
authorized_keys
file. - Save the file and close the text editor.
- Adjust the permissions of the
authorized_keys
file so that the file does not allow group writable permissions. - Logout of the remote server.
Connect to Server with Private Key
![Free Free](/uploads/1/3/3/8/133879095/551801148.png)
Now it is time to test SSH key authentication. The PuTTYgen tool can be closed and PuTTY launched again.
Generate Ssh Public Key Puttygen
![Generate ssh public key putty free Generate ssh public key putty free](/uploads/1/3/3/8/133879095/135597964.png)
- Enter the remote server Host Name or IP address under
Session
. - Navigate to
Connection
>SSH
>Auth
. - Click
Browse...
underAuthentication parameters
/Private key file for authentication
. - Locate the
id_rsa.ppk
private key and clickOpen
. - Finally, click
Open
again to log into the remote server with key pair authentication.
Generate RSA keys with SSH by using PuTTYgen
One effective way of securing SSH access to your cloud server is to usea public-private key pair. This means that a public key is placed onthe server and a private key is placed on your local workstation.Using a key pair makes it impossible for someone to log in by using justa password, as long as you set up SSH to deny password-basedauthentication.
This article provides steps for generating RSA keys by using PuTTYgen onWindows for secure SSH authentication with OpenSSH.
Generate keys
In Windows, use PuTTYgen to generate your public and private keys.
- If needed, download PuTTYgen from the PuTTY download page.(PuTTYgen might have been installed previously with PuTTY or WinSCP.)
- Launch the program, and then click the Generate button.The program generates the keys for you.
- Enter a unique key passphrase in the Key passphrase andConfirm passphrase fields.For additional information about using passphrases,see Log in with a SSH Private Key on Windows.
- Save the public and private keys by clicking the Save public keyand Save private key buttons.
- From the Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys filefield at the top of the window, copy all the text (starting with ssh-rsa)to your clipboard by pressing Ctrl-C.You need this key available on your clipboard to paste eitherinto the public key tool in the Control Panel or directly into theauthorized keys on your cloud server.
Use the key pair
You can use the RSA key pair in the following ways.
Specify your SSH key when creating a new cloud server
When you create a cloud server, you can assign a public key from the list of keys.If your key is not already in the list, you may add it, and then assign it.
Add a new public key to the list
- Under Advanced Options on the Create Server page, click Manage SSHKeys.
- Select public key for the cloud server from the SSH Keys listand click Add Public Key.
- Enter the key name, select the region, and paste the entire publickey into the Public Key field. Then click Add Public Key.
- Go back to the Create Server page, and confirm that your key is listedin the SSH Key list.
Assign a public key
- Under Advanced Options on the Create Server page, select the publickey you want to use from the SSH key drop-down menu.
- When you are done specifying the all the other details for the server,click Create Server.
Assign your SSH Key to an existing cloud server
To make use of your newly generated RSA key pair, you must tell PuTTY touse it when connecting to your cloud server.
- To edit the file (or create it), run the following command on the cloud server:
- Paste the text onto its own line in the file.You must have the key available in your clipboard to paste it. The key and itsassociated text (the ssh-rsa identified at the start and the comment at the end)must be on one line in the file. If the text is word-wrapped onto multiple linesan error might occur when connecting.
- If you created the authorized_keys file, change its permissionsafter you’re done editing it by running the following command:
- Open PuTTY, and go to the SSH > Auth section.
- Browse to the location of the key file, and load the private key.
- Go to the Session page, and save the session. This saves the configurationso that PuTTY uses the key every time that you connect to your cloudserver.
After you save your session, your key is loaded automatically when youconnect to your server.
Putty Generate Key
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