Setting Up SSH access using ssh-import-id

In this guide, we’ll be walking through the process of setting up SSH access using ssh-import-id.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• Access to the machine where you will generate the SSH key.
• A GitHub account.
• Access to the target Linux machine.

Generating a New SSH Key Pair

On the connecting machine, generate a new SSH key pair using the following command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

The generated key can be found in the default location:

• Windows: %UserProfile%/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
• Linux/Mac: ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Adding the Public Key to GitHub

1. Copy the public key to the clipboard.
2. Go to your GitHub settings page and navigate to the SSH and GPG keys section.
3. Click New SSH Key and paste the copied key in the Key field.

Importing the Key on the Target Linux Machine

1. If you don’t have the ssh-import-id package installed, install it using the following command:

   apt install ssh-import-id

2. Import the public key from GitHub using the following command, replacing USERNAME with your GitHub username:

   ssh-import-id gh:{username}