Create an SSH Key Pair

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WHAT TO EXPECT

In this section, users will learn how to create an SSH key pair for later use.

An SSH key pair is the recommended method when accessing a Linux instance, for example, a cloudSwXtch. If there is not already one available, please create an SSH key pair before beginning the cloudSwXtch creation process on AWS.

In the AWS Management Console, make sure the current region is the planned one to use the cloudSwXtch instance.

  1. Navigate to EC2

    • Select the “Services” menu in the AWS Management Console.

    • Click “Compute”

    • Select “EC2”

    AWS_Navigate-EC2-1

  2. In EC2, click “Key Pairs” under the “Network & Security” tab in the menu on the left-hand side.

    AWS-Navigate-EC2-KeyPairs

  3. Click “Create Key Pair”. A new window should open.

  4. Under Name, enter something meaningful and descriptive for the key.

  5. Depending on the needs, choose RSA or ED25519, and .pem or .ppk (OpenSSH or PuTTY access).

  6. Click on Create Key Pair.

    1. A file with the chosen extension will be downloaded (secret private key), and the other half of the pair will be stored on AWS for later use (public key, used in conjunction with the private key to validate the access).

From now on, the new SSH key will be available on the AWS console for each process that needs it.