What is SSH

SSH (Secure Shell) keys are a type of authentication credential used for secure communication between two devices over a network. SSH keys are a pair of cryptographic keys, one public and one private, that are used to authenticate and establish a secure connection between two devices.

The public key is placed on the remote server, and the private key is stored on the client machine. When a user attempts to connect to the server, the server sends a challenge to the client. The client then uses its private key to encrypt the challenge and send it back to the server. The server decrypts the challenge using the corresponding public key, and if the decrypted challenge matches the original challenge, the user is authenticated and granted access to the server.

SSH keys are often used as an alternative to traditional password-based authentication, as they provide a more secure and efficient means of authentication. Additionally, SSH keys are widely used in automation and scripting, as they can be used to authenticate automated processes and eliminate the need for human intervention.

SSH (Secure Shell) keys are a pair of cryptographic keys used for authentication and establishing secure communication between two devices over a network. The two keys in the pair are the Private Key and the Public Key.

The private key is kept on the client machine and should be kept confidential. It is used to decrypt messages that have been encrypted with the corresponding public key. The private key is also used to sign messages, which allows others to verify the authenticity of the message.

The public key is placed on the remote server and can be distributed to anyone who needs to authenticate with that server. The public key is used to encrypt messages that can only be decrypted by the corresponding private key. This means that anyone can send a message to the server encrypted with the public key, but only the holder of the private key can decrypt the message and read it.

When a user attempts to connect to a server using SSH, the server sends a challenge to the client. The client uses its private key to encrypt the challenge and sends it back to the server. The server then decrypts the challenge using the corresponding public key, and if the decrypted challenge matches the original challenge, the user is authenticated and granted access to the server.

The use of public and private keys for SSH authentication provides a more secure and efficient means of authentication compared to traditional password-based authentication.

More about : SSH-KEYGEN , SSH-COPY-ID , RSA , DSA & ECDSA