Creating an SSH Key on Linux

The easiest way to generate an RSA key pair on Linux is by using the built-in ssh-keygen tool in the terminal. It's fast, doesn't require installing anything, and works on all mainstream Linux distributions.

Using a terminal, enter the command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[e-mail]"

Replace [e-mail] with your own email, or another comment identifying your key.

You'll see a prompt like:

Enter file in which to save the key (/home/yourname/.ssh/id_rsa):

Press Enter to accept the default, or enter a custom path. The path should be in a restricted directory that others do not have permission to access.

When prompted to enter a passphrase, you can press enter to skip, or supply a passphrase. This is not the same as your ExaVault account password.

The process will generate two files, a private key, which has no extension and a public key with the extension .pub

Upload your public key to your account, and add your private key to your SFTP client. Never give your private key to anyone.