SSH keys

SSH keys let you log in securely without a password. You add the public half to your account; the private half never leaves your computer.

Create a key

macOS, Linux and Windows 10/11 (PowerShell)

bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"

Press Enter to accept the default location and choose a passphrase. Then show the public key:

bash
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Windows PowerShell:
Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub

It looks like ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3Nza… you@example.com. RSA keys of 3072 bits or more and ECDSA keys are also accepted.

Add it to your account

In the console go to SSH keys → Add key, give it a name (such as "Laptop") and paste the public key. We show its SHA256 fingerprint so you can check it matches:

bash
ssh-keygen -lf ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Keys belong to your organization, so everyone in it can choose them when creating servers.

Connect

bash
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
# Ubuntu images may also use: ssh ubuntu@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Adding keys to a running server

Keys chosen in the console are installed when a server is created or rebuilt. To add a key to a running server, append it to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server.

Lost your key?

Open the server's Console tab to log in through the browser, or Rebuild the server with a new key (this erases the disk — take a snapshot first).

Never share or upload your private key (the file without .pub). Kasada staff will never ask for it.