HOW TO ACCESS YOUR SERVER WITHOUT A PASSWORD (SSH KEY AUTHENTICATION)

How to Access Your Server Without a Password (SSH Key Authentication)

1. Generate SSH Key Pair on Your Local Machine

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/server_access_key -C "your_email@example.com"

Creates:

  • Private key: ~/.ssh/server_access_key (keep this secure!)
  • Public key: ~/.ssh/server_access_key.pub (to be added to the server).

2. Add Public Key to Server via Web Console

  1. Open the web console (DigitalOcean/AWS/etc.).
  2. Run: 
mkdir -p ~/.ssh
echo "PASTE_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 700 ~/.ssh

3. Test SSH Login from Local Machine

ssh -i ~/.ssh/server_access_key root@your_server_ip

4. (Optional) Disable Password Login for Security

On the server:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Uncomment/add:
PasswordAuthentication no
PermitRootLogin prohibit-password
  1. Restart SSH:
sudo systemctl restart ssh    # Ubuntu/Debian
# OR
sudo systemctl restart sshd  # RHEL/CentOS

Key Takeaways

  • ✅ No password needed: SSH keys replace password authentication.
  • ✅ More secure: Keys are cryptographically stronger than passwords.
  • ✅ Works even if you forget the password: As long as you have web console access.1
  • ✅ Disable passwords: Prevent brute-force attacks.

Final Tip

Back up your private key (~/.ssh/server_access_key) somewhere safe! 🔐

By joy 2 days, 21 hours ago
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