Using Github with SSH keys

GitHub removed support for Password Authentication while using HTTPS protocol in August 2021. It is convenient (and recommended) to access repos securely using SSH keys.

Generate a public/private RSA key pair

Skip to next step if you have an existing SSH key pair.

Windows users can use either PowerShell, Windows Terminal, or WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Mac and Linux users should use their preferred terminal.

Run the ssh-keygen command with default arguments to generate and replace your private keypair.

ssh-keygen -t rsa

You will be prompted to provide a filename and an additional password if required.

It is common to NOT use a password with the private key because the operating system already controls user access.

The output will look like this:

Copy the public key

Use the terminal to display the public key, highlight, and copy to clipboard.

The public key will have a .pub file extension. You should never share your private key!

$ cd $HOME/.ssh
$ cat id_rsa.pub

The output will look similar to the following:

Save the public key to GitHub

Navigate to 'Settings' under your GitHub profile. In the Left navigation select 'SSH and GPG keys':

Select 'New SSH key', add a title with any descriptive name, and paste the public key into the Key textarea:

Your repos will now show clone commands using SSH: