How to create an SSH key pair

To create an SSH key pair, run the ssh-keygen utility on your local machine. The ssh-keygen utility is available on all major operating systems. In macOS or Linux, run ssh-keygen in the Terminal app. On Windows, run ssh-keygen in the Command Prompt app.

Generating a key pair

Run the following command:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

For legacy systems that do not support Ed25519, use RSA:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

Key generation prompts

When prompted, choose a location to save the key (press Enter to accept the default):

Enter file in which to save the key (/home/user/.ssh/id_ed25519):

Optionally enter a passphrase to protect the private key:

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:

Result

Two files are created:

• Private key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 — keep this file secret and never share it.
• Public key: ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub — place this on servers you want to access.

Viewing the public key

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the output — you will need it when adding the key to a remote server.