Connect to GitHub with SSH

Connect to GitHub with SSH | Generated by AI

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To connect to GitHub using SSH, follow these steps based on the provided GitHub documentation. This guide assumes you’re starting from scratch and includes checking for existing keys, generating a new key, adding it to GitHub, and testing the connection.

1. Check for Existing SSH Keys

Before creating a new SSH key, check if you already have one:

Open a terminal (on macOS/Linux) or Git Bash (on Windows).
Run:
```
ls -al ~/.ssh
```
Look for files like id_rsa and id_rsa.pub (or similar, e.g., id_ed25519, id_ed25519.pub). If they exist, you may already have a key. If you want to use an existing key, skip to step 3. If not, proceed to generate a new key.

2. Generate a New SSH Key

If you don’t have an SSH key or want a new one:

In your terminal, generate a new SSH key:
```
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
```
- Replace your_email@example.com with the email associated with your GitHub account.
- If your system doesn’t support ed25519, use:
```
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"
```
When prompted, press Enter to save the key in the default location (~/.ssh/id_ed25519 or ~/.ssh/id_rsa).
Optionally, enter a passphrase for extra security (or press Enter for none).

3. Add the SSH Key to the SSH Agent

The SSH agent manages your keys for authentication:

Start the SSH agent:
```
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
```
Add your private key to the agent:
```
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
```
- If you used RSA, replace id_ed25519 with id_rsa.
If you set a passphrase, you’ll be prompted to enter it.

4. Add the SSH Key to Your GitHub Account

Copy your public key to the clipboard:
- On macOS:
```
pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```
- On Linux:
```
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```
  Then manually copy the output.
- On Windows (Git Bash):
```
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | clip
```
- If you used RSA, replace id_ed25519.pub with id_rsa.pub.
Go to GitHub:
- Log in to GitHub.
- Click your profile picture (top-right) → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key or Add SSH key.
- Paste your public key in the “Key” field, give it a title (e.g., “My Laptop”), and click Add SSH key.

5. Test Your SSH Connection

Verify that your SSH key works with GitHub:

Run:
```
ssh -T git@github.com
```
If prompted, confirm by typing yes.

You should see a message like:

Hi username! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

This confirms your SSH connection is working.

6. Configure Git to Use SSH

Ensure your Git repository uses SSH for authentication:

Check your repository’s remote URL:
```
git remote -v
```
If the URL starts with https://, change it to SSH:
```
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:username/repository.git
```
- Replace username/repository with your GitHub username and repository name.

7. Optional: Manage SSH Key Passphrases

If you set a passphrase, you can configure the SSH agent to avoid reentering it:

On macOS, add your key to the keychain:

ssh-add --apple-use-keychain ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

On Linux/Windows, the SSH agent typically prompts for the passphrase only once per session.

8. Optional: Use SSH Agent Forwarding or Deploy Keys

SSH Agent Forwarding: If you’re deploying to a server, enable agent forwarding to use your local SSH keys securely. Add to your ~/.ssh/config:
```
Host example.com
    ForwardAgent yes
```
Replace example.com with your server’s hostname.
Deploy Keys: For automated scripts, generate a separate SSH key for each server and add it as a deploy key in your GitHub repository settings.

Troubleshooting

If ssh -T git@github.com fails, ensure:
- Your public key is correctly added to GitHub.
- The SSH agent is running and your key is added (ssh-add -l to list loaded keys).
- File permissions are correct:
```
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```
For further issues, check GitHub’s troubleshooting guide.

Now you can use SSH to interact with GitHub securely without entering credentials repeatedly.

Connecting to GitHub with SSH - GitHub Docs

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