Set Up SSH Server on Ubuntu

SSH is a network protocol that allows users to securely access and manage remote servers.

This time, we’ll document the detailed steps for passwordless login.

Install OpenSSH Server​

Open the terminal.

Enter the following commands to install the OpenSSH server:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openssh-server

Check SSH Server Status​

Use the following command to check the SSH server’s status:

sudo systemctl status ssh

If you see “Active: active (running),” then the SSH server has started successfully.

SSH Passwordless Login Setup:​

Generate SSH Key Pair on the Client​

Open the terminal.

Enter the following command to generate the key pair:

ssh-keygen

Follow the prompts. The default settings are usually sufficient. When asked for a password, simply press Enter to create a key pair without a password.

Copy the Public Key to the Server​

Use the ssh-copy-id command to copy the public key to the server. Replace [username] and [server-ip] with your server details.

ssh-copy-id [username]@[server-ip]

For example:

ssh-copy-id john@192.168.0.100

If the server uses a different SSH port (e.g., 2222), use the -p parameter:

ssh-copy-id -p 2222 john@192.168.0.100

This command will prompt you for the server's password.

Once verified successfully, your public key will be added to the server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file.

Test Passwordless Login​

Try SSH into the server:

ssh [username]@[server-ip]

If everything is configured correctly, you should be able to log into the server without a password.

Disable Password Authentication​

With the SSH key, you may want to disable password authentication for increased security.

This can be configured in the server’s /etc/ssh/sshd_config:

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Find the PasswordAuthentication option in the file and set it to no.

After completing these steps, congratulations! You can now happily use SSH without a password.

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