Black Android Smartphone on Top of White Book

Create and Use the SSH Config File

ByShubham Nimje

How to create and use SSH Config File

Enhance your SSH experience by leveraging the SSH config file! This guide walks you through creating the configuration file on Windows and Linux machines, defining aliases for easier server access, and utilizing it for streamlined Git operations.

To Ease the Remote Server Login from Window Machine
  • Open Notepad then save file with filename ‘config’ on path C:\Users\YourUser\.ssh
  • We will convert newly created config text file to config file, To do this Open cmd then
cd c:\users\yourUser\.ssh
copy config.txt config
del config.txt
  • Edit config using notepad or notepad++
  • Write below credentials then save it
Syntax:- 
Host ANY_NAME_1
    HostName SERVER_IP or SERVER_DOMAIN
    User SERVER_USERNAME
    Port SERVER_PORT
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/YOUR_PVT_SSH_KEY_NAME
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Example:-
Host geek-vps-ubuntu
    HostName 181.219.74.228
    User rajesh
    Port 1037
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/raj_ed25519
    IdentitiesOnly yes
  • You can add as many as Host you need. This way you can manage multiple users and their respective ssh keys.
  • Now you can use Host to login into Remote Server via cmd or terminal
Syntax:- ssh HOST
Example:- ssh geek-vps-ubuntu
To Ease the Github Clone Pull from Remote Server Linux Machine
  • Open CMD or Terminal
  • To Get Access to Remote Server via SSH
Syntax:- ssh -p PORT USERNAME@HOSTIP
Example:- ssh -p 22 raj@216.32.44.12
OR
Syntax:- ssh HOST
Example:- ssh geek-vps-ubuntu
  • Create config file
touch ~/.ssh/config
  • Edit config using nano
nano ~/.ssh/config
  • Write below credentials then save it
Syntax:- 
Host ANY_NAME_1
    HostName GITHUB_IP or GITHUB_DOMAIN
    User GITHUB_USERNAME
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/YOUR_PVT_SSH_KEY_NAME
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Example:-
Host react_project
    HostName github.com
    User geekyshow1
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/react_ed25519
    IdentitiesOnly yes
  • You can add as many as Host you need. This way you can manage multiple github repo and their respective ssh keys.
  • Now you can use git command as follow
- Verify Connection
  Syntax:- ssh -T git@HOST
  Example:- ssh -T git@react_project

- Clone Git Repo
  Syntax:- git clone git@HOST:GITHUB_USERNAME/REPO_NAME
  Example:- git clone git@react_project:geekyshow1/ecomm.git

- Git Pull will work as normal
  git pull