Securely Accessing Your Server: A Guide to SSH Login with Private Key and Password

Securely Accessing Your Server: A Guide to SSH Login with Private Key and Password

Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol used to securely connect to remote servers and devices. It is widely used in the IT industry for managing servers and network devices, and it provides a secure alternative to Telnet and other remote access protocols. In this blog post, we will discuss how to use SSH to connect to a remote server using both a private key and password.

What is SSH?

SSH is a network protocol that allows two computers to communicate securely over an insecure network. It provides a secure encrypted communication channel between two untrusted hosts over an insecure network, typically the internet. SSH is widely used for remote login and remote command execution. It uses cryptographic techniques to secure communication over the network, ensuring that data transmitted between the two hosts is not intercepted or tampered with.

How to use SSH to login with private key and password

When you want to log in to a remote server using SSH, there are two methods you can use to authenticate yourself: using a private key or using a password.

Logging in with a private key

To log in to a remote server using a private key, you must have a private key, if you don't have one, first generate a public/private key pair (Step 1 and 2). The private key is kept on your local computer, while the public key is added to the authorized_keys file on the remote server.

If you already have a private key, skip steps 1 and 2.

Here are the steps to log in with a private key:

  1. Generate a public/private key pair on your local computer using the ssh-keygen command. You can use the default options or specify your own.
ssh-keygen
  1. Copy the public key to the remote server using the ssh-copy-id command.
ssh-copy-id user@remote-host
  1. Connect to the remote server using the ssh command and specify the private key file using the -i option.
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa user@remote-host

Explanation:

  • ssh: This is the command used to initiate a secure shell connection to a remote server.

  • -i: This option specifies the identity (i.e., private key) file to use for authentication. In this case, the ~/.ssh/id_rsa file is used.

  • ~/.ssh/id_rsa: This is the path to the private key file on your local machine. The ~ character is shorthand for your home directory.

  • user: This is the username you will use to authenticate with the remote server.

  • remote-host: This is the hostname or IP address of the remote server you want to connect to.

When you run this command, SSH will use the private key file specified with the -i option to authenticate with the remote server. If the authentication is successful, you will be logged into the remote server as the user specified. If the private key file is not found, or if the authentication fails for any reason, you will be prompted to enter a password for the remote user.

Logging in with a password

To log in to a remote server using a password, you must have a user account on the remote server with a password set.

Here are the steps to log in with a password:

  1. Connect to the remote server using the ssh command and specify the username and hostname.
ssh user@remote-host
  1. Enter your password when prompted.
user@remote-host's password:

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have discussed the basics of SSH and how to log in to a remote server using both a private key and a password. By using SSH, you can securely manage remote servers and devices over an insecure network. It is important to use strong passwords and secure private keys to ensure the security of your remote connections.