How to Set Up SSH Keys on Ubuntu 20.04 and Configure

Introduction

SSH (Secure Shell) keys provide a more secure way of logging into a server with SSH than using a password alone. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps to generate SSH keys on Ubuntu 20.04 and configure them for use.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you have:

1. An Ubuntu 20.04 server
2. A local computer with SSH client installed

Steps to Set Up SSH Keys

1. Generate SSH Key Pair: Open a terminal on your local computer and run the following command to generate an SSH key pair:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"

1. Copy Public Key to Server: Use the following command to copy the public key to your Ubuntu 20.04 server:

ssh-copy-id username@hostname

1. Configure SSH: Edit the SSH configuration file on your Ubuntu 20.04 server to disable password authentication and enable public key authentication:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Add or modify the following lines:

PubkeyAuthentication yes
PasswordAuthentication no

1. Reload SSH Service: Reload the SSH service to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl reload sshd

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully set up SSH keys on your Ubuntu 20.04 server and configured them for use. SSH keys provide a more secure way to authenticate with your server compared to password-based authentication.