Giters

eschwartz / github-ssh-instructions

Geek Repo:Geek Repo

Github PK Tool:Github PK Tool

Installing SSH Key on Macbook for GitHub access

I'm not going to walk through the reasoning behind using SSH keys as authorization or why GitHub is making this change. Let's just dive into the process and get the SSH keys created, installed, and referenced on GitHub.

Create the SSH Key

  1. Open terminal. I recommend using the terminal application on your MacBook rather than the integrated terminal in VS Code.
  2. Paste the following code into the terminal, substituting in your GitHub account email address for the [your GitHub email]:
$ ssh-keygen -t -rsa -b 4096 -C "[your GitHub email]"
  1. This generates a new SSH key, using the provided email as a label.
> Generating public/private [your GitHub email] key pair.
  1. When your promted to "Enter a file in which to save the key," press Enter. This accepts the default location.
> Enter a file in which to save the key (/Users/you/.ssh/id_youremailaddress):
  1. At the prompt, type a secure passphrase. (This is optional. Using a passphrase will require you to enter the passphrase each time you attempt to authenticate with GitHub.)

Add your SSH Key to the ssh-agent

DO NOT USE A THIRD-PARTY LIBRARY TO ADD THE SSH KEY! Use the native MacBook ssh-add command.

  1. Start the ssh-agent in the background.
$ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
> Agent pid 59566

  1. On macOS Sierra 10.12.2 or later, you need to modify your ~/.ssh/config file to automatically load keys into the ssh-agent and store passphrases in your keychain.

    1. First, check if the ~/.ssh/config file exists: 
        $ open ~/.ssh/config
  > The file /Users/you/.ssh/config does not exist.
    2. If the file doesn't exist, create the file. 
        $ touch ~/.ssh/config
    3. Open your ~/.ssh/config file, then modify the file, replacing ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 if you are not using the default location and name for your id_ed25519 key. 
      Host *
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  UseKeychain yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

    ** NOTE: If you choose to omit the passphrase to your key, omit the UseKeychain line.

    1. Add your SSH private key to the ssh-agent and store your passphrase in the keychain. If you created your key with a different name, or if you are adding an existing key that has a different name, replace id_ed25519 in the command with the name of your private key file. 
      $ ssh-add -K ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

    Note: The -K option is Apple's standard version of ssh-add, which stores the passphrase in your keychain for you when you add an ssh key to the ssh-agent. If you chose not to add a passphrase to your key, run the command without the -K option.

    If you don't have Apple's standard version installed, you may receive an error. For more information on resolving this error, see "Error: ssh-add: illegal option -- K."

Add the SSH Key to your GitHub account.

  1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.

    If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.

      $ pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
  # Copies the contents of the id_ed25519.pub file to your clipboard

    Tip: If pbcopy isn't working, you can locate the hidden .ssh folder, open the file in your favorite text editor, and copy it to your clipboard.

  2. In the upper-right corner of any page, click your profile photo, then click Settings.

  3. In the user settings sidebar, click SSH and GPG keys.

  4. Click New SSH key or Add SSH Key.

  5. In the Title field, add a descriptive label for the new key. For example, if you're using a personal Mac, you might call this key "Personal MacBook Air."

  6. Paste your key into the "Key" field.

  7. Click Add SSH key.

  8. If prompted, confirm your GitHub password.

About