How to generate SSH key and establish SSH connection to a server on hosts like SiteGround:
- Open Puttygen, make sure RSA is selected from the Parameters section, then click Generate to generate a new key pair.
- Move mouse over the blank area to generate randomness to create the key.
- When key is generated, give it a comment and then a passphrase (password). Then save the public key and private key to two files using the respective buttons.
- Go to SiteGround (or other host) user interface, under Dev > SSH Keys Manager, select Import.
- Write something recognizable for Key Name, and then copy the public key from inside Puttygen, from the area at the top that says “Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file”.
- Click Import and you should have the public key imported into the server now. Click the options next to the key and select SSH Credentials.
- Open Putty and enter the credentials:
- In the Session menu, enter Hostname and Port.
- In the SSH > Auth menu, enter the path to the private key you saved earlier.
- In the Connection > Data menu, enter the “Auto-login username” from the SiteGround SSH Credentials.
- In the Session menu, in Saved Sessions, enter a recognizable name for this saved connection. Then click Save.
- Click Load and you will be prompted to enter the private key passphrase (password). The very first time you connect, Putty will alert you you’re connecting to a new server and if you are sure this is the right server, you can select to trust it in the future.
Tags: computer-programming, putty, server-administration, and ssh