SSH Keys to Remote Linux (No Need to type password again!!!)

Source: Notion | Last edited: 2024-11-19 | ID: 1382d2dc-3ef...

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Overview

This guide helps developers set up secure SSH connections for remote development, enabling seamless interaction with remote Linux servers through modern IDEs like VS Code or Cursor IDE.

Prerequisites

• Local Machine:
  • Windows/MacOS/Linux operating system
  • VS Code or Cursor IDE installed
  • Terminal access
  • Git (optional but recommended)
• Remote Server:
  • Linux server (Ubuntu recommended)
  • User account with sudo privileges
  • SSH server enabled

Tools & Technologies

• SSH (Secure Shell)
  • Protocol for secure remote system administration
  • Key-based authentication
  • OpenSSH implementation
• IDE Integration
  • VS Code Remote Development Extension Pack
  • Remote SSH capabilities
  • Integrated terminal support
• Configuration Management
  • SSH config files
  • IDE workspace settings
  • Environment variables

Benefits & Enhancements

1. Security

• Key-based authentication
• No password storage
• Encrypted connections

1. Development Experience

• Direct remote file editing
• Integrated terminal access
• Automatic workspace opening
• Multiple remote workspace management

1. Efficiency

• Single-click connections
• Persistent sessions
• Automatic directory navigation
• Shared SSH configurations

1. Team Collaboration

• Standardized setup process
• Shared development environments
• Consistent workspace structures

SSH Setup Tutorial for Remote Development

1. Check Existing SSH Keys

ls -la ~/.ssh

Look for files like id_ed25519, id_rsa, or similar. If none exist, proceed to step 2.

2. Generate SSH Key

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@company.com"
# for example "terry@eonlabs.com" is the "your.email@company.com"

• Press Enter to accept default location
• Enter a secure passphrase (recommended)

3. Start SSH Agent

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519  # or your key name

4. Copy Key to Remote Server

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub username@remote-server
# tca

Or manually:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | ssh username@remote-server "mkdir -p ~/.ssh && cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

5. Create SSH Config

nvim ~/.ssh/config

Basic template:

Host remote-nickname*
    HostName server.address
    User your-username
    Port 22
    ForwardAgent yes
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/your_private_key
    IdentitiesOnly yes
    PermitLocalCommand yes

Host remote-nickname-workspace1
    RemoteCommand cd /home/username/workspace1
    LocalCommand code --remote ssh-remote+remote-nickname-workspace1 /home/username/workspace1

6. Test Connection

# Test basic connection
ssh remote-nickname

# Test specific workspace connection
ssh remote-nickname-workspace1

7. Verify Remote Permissions

On remote server:

ls -la ~/.ssh
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

8. Troubleshooting

• Check SSH agent: ssh-add -l

• Test verbose connection: ssh -v remote-nickname

• Check remote logs: tail -f /var/log/auth.log (on remote server)

• Verify key permissions: chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 Remember to replace:

• username with actual username

• remote-server with actual server address

• remote-nickname with desired SSH host alias

• Key filenames with actual key names

• Workspace paths with actual paths