Setting Up Unix Key-Based Authentication

Assuming you have an account named user on a Unix-like system, such and monkey.lips, you can set up key-based authentication fairly easily. This method allows you to log in without entering a password:

Step 1: Generate SSH Keys

Make sure you have SSH keys generated on your local machine. If you haven't done this yet, you can generate a new key pair with the following command and follow the prompts:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519

Step 2: Verify or Create the .ssh Directory

If you don't already have a .ssh directory in your home directory, create it:

mkdir -p ~/.ssh

Verify that the authorized_keys file exists, and if not, create it:

touch ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Verify that the .ssh directory and authorised_keys file have the correct permissions:

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

Step 3: Copy the Public Key to the Server

Copy your public key to the server using the ssh-copy-id command. Replace user with your username and monkey.lips with the server address:

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/{your_key_name} user@monkey.lips

If you don't have ssh-copy-id, you can manually copy the contents of your public key file and paste it to the end of the authorized_keys file on the server.

Step 4: Test the Connection

Use the following command, replacing user and monkey.lips with your username and server address:

ssh user@monkey.lips

If everything is set up correctly, you should be able to log in without entering a password.