How to Login to a VPS Using SSH Key (Step-by-Step Guide)

Introduction

Logging into a VPS using a password is simple but it is not secure. Password-based login can be attacked using brute-force methods.

A better and more secure approach is using SSH keys.

In this guide, you will learn how to log in to your VPS using an SSH key instead of a password in a simple step-by-step way.

Table of Contents

1. What is an SSH Key?
2. Generating SSH Key
3. Copying SSH Key to VPS
4. Logging in Using SSH Key
5. Disabling Password Login (Optional but Recommended)
6. Conclusion

What is an SSH Key?

An SSH key is a pair of files used to securely connect to a server without a password.

It consists of:

• Private key (kept on your local machine)
• Public key (added to your VPS)

When you connect:

• The server checks your public key
• Your system proves identity using the private key

If both matches, access is granted.

Generating SSH Key

Open the Run this command on your local machine:

ssh-keygen

It will ask you to enter the file name to save the key. You can press Enter for the default file or you can provide your own file path. If you have not created any ssh key before, it is recommended to keep the default file.

It also asks you for the password, you can skip it for now and just press Enter.

This will create:

• Private Key – inside ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 folder
• Public Key – inside ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copying SSH Key to VPS

After creating the SSH key, we need to copy the public key we created from our local machine.

Run this command to copy the public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Now copy the entire output.

Note: If you did not choose the default file, you can replace id_ed25519.pub with your actual file name.

After copying, log into your vps.

Run the following command:

nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Now paste the key here. Log out from your VPS.

Logging in Using SSH Key

Now connect to your vps using:

ssh user@your_server_ip

Note: Replace user with actual username and your_server_ip with the actual IP.

If everything is correct, you will log in without entering the password.

Disabling Password Login (Optional but Recommended)

After setting up the SSH key, it is recommended to disable password login. Password login can be breached using brute force methods.

Log in to your VPS and edit SSH config:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Now find:

PasswordAuthentication yes

Change it to:

PasswordAuthentication no

Now restart SSH:

sudo systemctl restart ssh

Note: Make sure SSH key login works before disabling password login. Otherwise, you may lock yourself out.

Conclusion

Using SSH keys makes your VPS login more secure and eliminates the need for passwords.

In this guide you learned how to:

• Generate SSH keys
• Add them to your VPS
• Log in securely without a password

This is a simple but important step in securing your server. If this guide solves your problem, share it with others and subscribe to our newsletter for more blogs. If you still have any issue, you can contact us for help.