How to generate ssh keys

In your unix shell, type

ssh-keygen -t rsa

You'll see a prompt like this:

Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa):

To use the default location just hit enter.

It's advisable to enter a passphrase, but it isn't necessary. You'll need to repeat the passphrase or just hit enter to skip.

If you accepted the default settings, your ssh key will be located at ~/.ssh/ida_rsa.pub.

To view the key you can type:

cat ~/.ssh/ida_rsa.pub

To use it, you can add the key to your home directory on a remote server at ~/.ssh/authorized_keys. If you have to create the file you can use:

touch ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Ensure the permission of the .ssh and authorized_keys files are correct:

chmod 700 ~/.ssh
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys