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(Secure Shell) is a way to connect securely to remote computers and services, like Git repositories.
SSH uses a pair of keys (public and private) to make sure only you can access your code.- A public and private key for secure access ssh-keygenFormula
- Generate a new SSH key pair ssh - add- Add your private key to the SSH agent ssh -T git@github.comFormula
- Test SSH connection ssh - add - l
- List loaded SSH keys ssh - add - dSSH keys come in pairs: a public key
(like a lock) and a private key
(like your own key).
You share the public key with the server (like GitHub or Bitbucket), but keep the private key safe on your computer.
Only someone with the private key can access what's locked by the public key.If you've never used SSH keys before, follow this step to enable the SSH agent on your operating system:
Example: Enable SSH Agent eval $(ssh-agent -s)
To create a new SSH key pair, use this command in the terminal (Linux, macOS, or Git Bash for Windows):
Example: Generate SSH Key ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your@email.com" Follow the prompts to choose a file location (press Enter to use the default) and set a passphrase (optional, but recommended for extra security).
After creating your key, add it to the SSH agent so Git can use it:
Example: Add Key to SSH Agent ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa
To use SSH with Git hosting services, you need to copy your public key and add it to your account settings on GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.Formula
pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pubFormula
clip < ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pubFormula
cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub(then copy manually)
See which keys are loaded in your SSH agent:
Example: List Loaded SSH Keys ssh-add -l To remove a key from the agent:
Example: Remove SSH Key from Agent ssh-add -d ~/.ssh/id_rsa
If you get "Permission denied", make sure your public key is added to your Git host and your private key is loaded in the agent.
Check file permissions: private keys should be readable only by you (Formula
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa).
Formula
Use ssh - v for verbose output to debug problems.Make sure you're using the correct SSH URL for your remote (starts with git@ ).
Never share your private key with anyone. Use a passphrase for extra security.
If your private key is ever exposed, generate a new key pair and update your Git host immediately.