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SSH Key

Use this guide to create an SSH key on Windows and add it to your Git hosting service for secure, password-less pushes.

Create SSH Key

  • Here is the command to create an SSH key. If you want to start pushing your projects to GIT, it's the first step.
  • When you log in to the GIT website you will see a notification to add your SSH key. Run this command in PowerShell or CMD:
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com" -f "C:\path\to\your\folder\your_key_name"
  • Replace the email and the path. Then open the generated .pub file at the specified path with Notepad, copy all text, and paste it into the GitLab/GitHub website.

Optional (recommended): use ed25519 for smaller keys and better security: 

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com" -f "C:\path\to\your\folder\your_ed25519_key"

Check for existing Key

dir C:\Users\YourUsername\.ssh

Copy public key (Windows)

type C:\path\to\your\folder\your_key_name.pub | clip

Notes

  • Keep your private key (your_key_name without .pub) secure and never share it.
  • Use ssh-agent to load keys for the session: 
    # Start the agent (PowerShell)
Start-Service ssh-agent
ssh-add C:\path\to\your\folder\your_key_name