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Do I need multiple SSH keys?
As far as security is concerned, you don’t compromise your key in any way by using it to log in on a machine (as you would by using a password), so having separate keys for separate destinations doesn’t make you any more safe from an authentication/security perspective.
Can I SSH without key?
Most notably, there is a key authentication system and a password authentication system. You can actually set up an SSH login on a Linux server which requires no password. However, you do need a key, but you get it from the OpenSSH utility package.
Do you need public or private SSH keys?
You now have a public and private SSH key pair you can use to access remote servers and to handle authentication for command line programs like Git. Though it’s considered good practice to have only one public-private key pair per device, sometimes you need to use multiple keys or you have unorthodox key names.
Do you need a SSH key to connect to a remote server?
The computer you use to connect to the remote server must have a version of SSH installed. This document includes instructions for generating a key pair with command-line SSH on a Linux or macOS computer, and with PuTTY on a Windows computer. You need to be able to transfer your public key to the remote system.
What’s the best way to set up SSH?
A better solution is to automate adding keys, store passwords, and to specify which key to use when accessing certain servers. Enter SSH config, which is a per-user configuration file for SSH communication. Create a new file: ~/.ssh/config and open it for editing:
Do you need more than one SSH key pair?
Though it’s considered good practice to have only one public-private key pair per device, sometimes you need to use multiple keys or you have unorthodox key names. For example, you might be using one SSH key pair for working on your company’s internal projects, but you might be using a different key for accessing a client’s servers.