In Ubuntu Linux and other Unix-like systems, generating and managing SSH keys and using key-based authentication is pretty easy. Below is a post that shows you how to create an SSH key pair in Ubuntu Linux which might also work in other Linux distributions. How to create an SSH key for key authentication When you’re using a Windows machine the steps above might be a bit different. Windows 11 comes with a built-in OpenSSH package and commands that one can use to generate and manage keys from the Command Prompt, Windows Terminal, or PowerShell. If you’re going to be using the command line, then you should use Windows Terminal which is installed by default in Windows 11. Windows Terminal provides a better experience and features and can run the Command Prompt, PowerShell, and the Windows Subsystem for Linux all in one window.
How to create SSH keys in Windows 11
As mentioned above, one can create or generate SSH keys in Windows 11. If you want to use SSH key authentication or use SSH key-based authentication, you will need to create a pair of SSH keys.
The steps below show you how to do that in Windows 11
In Windows, to generate an SSH key, simply run the commands below and press Enter.
The command above will automatically create and generate a 2048-bit RSA key.
GitHub recommends generating an SSH key with the Ed25519 algorithm.
When you run the commands above, you’ll be prompted with the following lines asking to enter a location to save the file.
When you are prompted to “Enter a file in which to save the key,” press Enter to accept the default file location.
If you use the defaults then it will save your keys in C:\User<username>.ssh
Next, you’ll be asked to enter a passphrase. You typically leave this empty and press Enter. However, you can secure your SSH key by entering a passphrase so that you’re prompted for the passphrase every time you want to use the key to authenticate.
After that, you should see a similar screen to the one below. Your SSH key pair should be created and ready to use.
Once the key generation process is complete, you should be able to access the key pair at the location below.
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