ssh-keygen Command - Generate SSH Key Pairs

The ssh-keygen command is used to generate, manage, and convert authentication keys for SSH. It is essential for setting up secure, passwordless SSH logins.

Syntax

ssh-keygen [options]

Examples

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

ssh-copy-id user@host

Notes

• Private keys should be kept secure and never shared.
• Default key location is ~/.ssh/id_rsa and ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
• Supports multiple key types: RSA, ECDSA, ED25519, etc.