How can you configure SSH encryption for remote server administration?

1 Generate SSH keys

The first step is to generate a pair of SSH keys on your local machine, which will be used to identify yourself to the remote server. SSH keys consist of a private key, which you keep secret, and a public key, which you share with the server. To generate SSH keys, you need to use a command-line tool called ssh-keygen. Depending on your operating system, you may need to install it first. To run ssh-keygen, open a terminal and type: ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 This will create a 4096-bit RSA key pair in your ~/.ssh directory. You can choose a different location and name for your keys, as well as a passphrase to protect them. The passphrase adds an extra layer of security, but you will need to enter it every time you use your keys.

2 Copy public key to server

The next step is to copy your public key to the remote server, so that it can recognize you as a valid user. There are several ways to do this, but one of the easiest is to use a command called ssh-copy-id. This command will append your public key to the authorized_keys file on the server, which contains the list of keys that are allowed to log in. To use ssh-copy-id, type: ssh-copy-id user@server Replace user with your username on the server, and server with the hostname or IP address of the server. You may need to enter your password for the server the first time you run this command. If ssh-copy-id is not available on your system, you can manually copy your public key to the server using scp or sftp.

3 Configure SSH settings

The final step is to configure some SSH settings on both your local machine and the remote server, to enhance the security and performance of your connection. For example, you can disable password authentication on the server, to prevent brute-force attacks. You can also enable compression on the client, to reduce the bandwidth usage. To configure SSH settings, you need to edit the sshd_config file on the server, and the ssh_config file on the client. These files are usually located in the /etc/ssh directory. You can use any text editor to open and modify them. Here are some examples of settings you can change:

# On the server, disable password authentication
PasswordAuthentication no
# On the client, enable compression
Compression yes        

After changing the settings, you need to restart the SSH service on the server, and reload the SSH agent on the client. To restart the SSH service, type: sudo service ssh restart To reload the SSH agent, type: eval $(ssh-agent -s) Now you are ready to use SSH encryption for remote server administration. To connect to the server, type: ssh user@server You should be able to log in without entering your password, and enjoy a secure and fast connection.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?