Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the ssh-agent

Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the ssh-agent

After you've checked for existing SSH keys, you can

generate a new SSH key to use for authentication, then add it to the  ssh-agent.

Generating a new SSH key

OpenGit Bash.Paste the text below, substituting in your GitHub email address.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "[email protected]"

This creates a new ssh key, using the provided email as a label.

Generating public/private rsa key pair.

When you're prompted to "Enter a file in which to save the key," press Enter. This accepts the default file location.

Enter a file in which to save the key (/Users/you/.ssh/id_rsa):[Press enter]

At the prompt, type a secure passphrase. For more information, see"Working with SSH key passphrases".

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):[Type a passphrase]Enter same passphrase again:[Type passphrase again]

Adding your SSH key to the ssh-agent

Before adding a new SSH key to the ssh-agent, you should havechecked for existing SSH keysandgenerated a new SSH key.

If you haveGitHub for Windowsinstalled, you can use it to clone repositories and not deal with SSH keys. It also comes with the Git Bash tool, which is the preferred way of runninggitcommands on Windows.

Ensure ssh-agent is enabled:

If you are using Git Bash, turn on ssh-agent:

# start the ssh-agent in the backgroundeval "$(ssh-agent -s)"Agent pid 59566

If you are using another terminal prompt, such asGit for Windows, turn on ssh-agent:

# start the ssh-agent in the backgroundeval $(ssh-agent -s)Agent pid 59566

Add your SSH key to the ssh-agent. If you used an existing SSH key rather thangenerating a new SSH key, you'll need to replaceid_rsain the command with the name of your existing private key file.

$ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Add the SSH key to your GitHub account.