# How to generate a SSH key on Linux Mint 21 vanessa or any other Ubuntu-based Linux distribution via the terminal emulator?

`Revisited and updated on October 1st, 2023`

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## SSH keys

SSH keys, short for Secure Shell keys, are a pair of cryptographic keys used in secure communication between two computers over a network, typically the internet.

They are commonly used to authenticate and secure remote connections to servers, systems, or other devices. SSH keys consist of two parts: public key and private key.

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## Note

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---

## **Let's get down to business**

shall we?

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---

## Check your OS

This step is just to make sure you have **Linux Mint** or a \*\*Ubuntu-\*\*based Linux distribution.

```ruby
cat /etc/os-release
lsb_release -a
uname -a
```

Output

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1696187393881/b9d11c02-f4db-4f41-bce5-fd13d690c4c1.png align="center")

---

## Generate SSH-key

```plaintext
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your email"
```

Replace "your email" with your actual email address.

Output

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1694697853385/2db823b4-246d-4968-8024-88e26a96698e.png align="center")

The `ssh-keygen` is a command-line utility that is used to generate an SSH key pair using the Ed25519 algorithm.

The `-t` flag specifies the type of key to create, key algorithm to use, and in this case, `ed25519` indicates the Ed25519 algorithm.

The `-C` parameter provides a comment (usually your email address) to help you identify the key later.

---

### Enter file

You can choose the path and filename.

If you just want to use the default name, press `Enter`, otherwise, provide the name/path of the file.

```plaintext
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/elitebughunter/.ssh/id_ed25519): /home/elitebughunter/.ssh/ssh_key_mdt
```

Output

```plaintext
elitebughunter@elitebughunter-linux-mint:~$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "Linux Mint"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/elitebughunter/.ssh/id_ed25519): /home/elitebughunter/.ssh/ssh_key_mdt
Created directory '/home/elitebughunter/.ssh'.
```

---

## Enter passphrase

If you don't want to provide a password, just press `Enter`

```ruby
Created directory '/home/elitebughunter/.ssh'.
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
```

Output

```ruby
elitebughunter@elitebughunter-linux-mint:~$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "Linux Mint"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/elitebughunter/.ssh/id_ed25519): /home/elitebughunter/.ssh/ssh_key_mdt
Created directory '/home/elitebughunter/.ssh'.
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): 
Enter same passphrase again: 
Your identification has been saved in /home/elitebughunter/.ssh/ssh_key_mdt
Your public key has been saved in /home/elitebughunter/.ssh/ssh_key_mdt.pub
```

---

## Result

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1694698076205/7a5a24d2-f59c-4587-afbe-3c9bc82c460f.png align="center")

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## List all your ssh keys

```plaintext
ls ~/.ssh/
```

---

## Tell SSH-agent

`ssh-agent` is a program that acts as a background agent to store and manage your SSH private keys.

It is commonly used on Unix-like operating systems, including Linux and macOS, to facilitate secure and convenient SSH key-based authentication.

```ruby
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/<personal_key>
```

The ssh-add command alone should work for adding your SSH private key to the agent.

Just replace `<personal_key>` with the actual filename of your SSH private key.

With a ssh key called `linux_mint_ebh_ssh_key`, take a look at how it's going to become:

```ruby
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/linux_mint_ebh_ssh_key
```

Output

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1696188288743/1adc33cb-4e44-4c59-a242-d4ae10f63113.png align="center")

---

## Check your recently created keys

```plaintext
cat ~/.ssh/<personal_key>.pub
```

Just replace `<personal_key>` with the actual filename of your SSH private key.

Output

```plaintext
ssh-ed25519 AAZACZNzaZ1lZZI1NZE5ZAAAIOj3BR10R5aZetC7+EY4OIOZuwunQaZww9kxZWdwaZZZ youremail@outlook.com.br
```

---

## Done

---

## **Celebrate**

You've made it!

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---

## **Let's become friends**

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---

## **Final thoughts**

I hope this article has been helpful to you. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Your thoughts, suggestions, and corrections are more than welcome.

By the way, don't hesitate to drop your suggestions for new blog articles.

I look forward to seeing you next time.

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