Use an SSH key pair

Create an SSH key pair

1. Log on to the ECS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Network & Security > SSH Key Pair.
3. Click Create SSH Key Pair.
4. Enter a name for the SSH key pair, and then select Auto-Create SSH Key Pair.
   Note Do not enter an SSH key pair name that already exists. Otherwise, the ECS console prompts you that the key already exists.
5. Click OK to create the SSH key pair.
   Note

   • After an SSH key pair is created, we recommend that you immediately download and securely save the private key.
   • Each Alibaba account can have up to 500 SSH key pairs in each region.

Related API: CreateKeyPair.

View public key information

For Windows:

1. Start PuTTYgen.
2. Click Load.
3. Select the .ppk or .pem file.

   PuTTYgen shows the public key information.

For Linux or Mac:

ssh-keygen -y -f /path_to_key_pair/my-key-pair.pem

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDdlrdZwV3+GF9q7rhc6vYrExwT4WU4fsaRcVXGV2Mg9RHex21hl1au77GkmnIgukBZjywlQOT4GDdsJy2nBOdJPrCEBIP6t0Mk5aPkK/fctNuKjcmMMOA8YUT+sJKn3l7rCLkesE+S5880yNdRjBiiUy40kyr7Y+fqGVdSOHGMXZQPpkBtojcV14uAy0yV6/htEqGa/Jq4fH7bR6CYQ2XgH/hCap29Mdi/G5Tx1nbUKuIHdMWOPvjGACGcXclex+lHtTGiAIRG1riyNRVC47ZEVCxxxxxx

View public key information within an instance

A public key is stored in the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file. Opening that file in an instance returns public key information.

Import an SSH key pair

1. Obtain public key information. For more information, see View public key information.
2. Log on to the ECS console.
3. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Network & Security > SSH Key Pair.
4. Click Create SSH Key Pair.
5. Enter a name for the SSH key pair, select Import SSH Key Pair, and then enter public key information in the Public Key box.
   Note Do not specify a name that is the same as an existing one or as one that is deleted while remains attached to an instance. Otherwise, the ECS console prompts you that the key already exists.
6. Click OK.

Related API: ImportKeyPair.

Attach an SSH key pair

You can attach an SSH key pair to an instance during or after instance creation.

1. Log on to the ECS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Network & Security > SSH Key Pair.
3. Find the target key pair, and click Bind in the Actions column.
4. In the Select Instance box, select the target ECS instance, and click > to move it to the Selected box.
   Note If an ECS instance in the Select Instance box appears grey, it means that the instance is running Windows, which does not support usage of SSH key pairs.
5. Click OK.
   Note If an ECS instance is in the Running state, you must restart it in the ECS console or by using the API to activate the key pair after attaching it to the instance.

After you attach an SSH key pair to an ECS instance, you can log on to that ECS instance by using the SSH key pair.

Related API: AttachKeyPair.

Detach an SSH key pair

1. Log on to the ECS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Network & Security > SSH Key Pair.
3. Find the target key pair, and click Unbind in the Actions column.
4. In the Select Instance box, select the target ECS instance, and click > to move it to the Selected box.
   Note If an ECS instance in the Select Instance box appears grey, it means that the instance is running Windows, which does not support usage of SSH key pairs.
5. Click OK.
   Note

   • If an ECS instance is in the Running state, you must restart it in the ECS console or by using the API to complete the operation after detaching it from the instance.
   • If an instance password is reset before the detach operation, you can use the password to log on to the instance after the detach operation. Otherwise, after the detach operation, you must reset the instance logon password before you can use a password to log on to the instance.

Related API: DetachKeyPair.

Add or replace a key pair in an instance

You can add multiple key pairs in an instance and use them to access that instance. You can also replace an existing key pair.

1. Retrieve the public key of a new key pair. For more information, see View public key information.
2. Use the existing key pair to log on to the ECS instance.
3. Run vim .ssh/authorized_keys to open the file.
4. Add or replace the public key.
   • Add a public key: Add a new public key below the existing public key, and save the file.

     ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQCys3aOkFm1Xh8iN0lijeQF5mz9Iw/FV/bUUduZjauiJa1KQJSF4+czKtqMAv38QEspiWStkSfpTn1g9qeUhfKd4uWlmxeQ+XjPsf22fRem+v7MHMa7KnZWiHJxO62D4Ihvv2hKfskz8K44mVMeInMjGO+u17IaL2l2ri8q9YdvVHt0Mw5TpCkERWGoBPE1Y8vxFb97TaE5+zc+2+eff6PDCMkVTP+c/feMeCxpx6Lhc2NEpHIPxMpjOv1IytKiDfWcezA2aCmKre0Q2t/YudCmJ8HTCnLId5LpirbNE4X08Bk7tXZAU8UaoeDdUr/FKB1Cxw1TbGMTfWBcdWkdp2lv imported-openssh-key
     ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDdlrdZwV3+GF9q7rhc6vYrExwT4WU4fsaRcVXGV2Mg9RHex21hl1au77GkmnIgukBZjywlQOT4GDdsJy2nBOdJPrCEBIP6t0Mk5aPkK/fctNuKjcmMMOA8YUT+sJKn3l7rCLkesE+S5880yNdRjBiiUy40kyr7Y+fqGVdSOHGMXZQPpkBtojcV14uAy0yV6/htEqGa/Jq4fH7bR6CYQ2XgH/hCap29Mdi/G5Tx1nbUKuIHdMWOPvjGACGcXclex+lHtTGiAIRG1riyNRVC47ZEVCg9iTWWGrWFvVlnI0E3Deb/9H9mPCO1Xt2fxxxxxxxxBtmR imported-openssh-key

   • Replace a public key: Delete the existing public key, add a new public key, and save the file.

     ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDdlrdZwV3+GF9q7rhc6vYrExwT4WU4fsaRcVXGV2Mg9RHex21hl1au77GkmnIgukBZjywlQOT4GDdsJy2nBOdJPrCEBIP6t0Mk5aPkK/fctNuKjcmMMOA8YUT+sJKn3l7rCLkesE+S5880yNdRjBiiUy40kyr7Y+fqGVdSOHGMXZQPpkBtojcV14uAy0yV6/htEqGa/Jq4fH7bR6CYQ2XgH/hCap29Mdi/G5Tx1nbUKuIHdMWOPvjGACGcXclex+lHtTGiAIRG1riyNRVC47ZEVCg9iTWWGrWFvVlnI0E3Deb/9H9mPCO1Xt2fxxxxxxxxBtmR imported-openssh-key

   If you can use the new private key to log on to the ECS instance, the add or replace operation is completed successfully.

Delete an SSH key pair

1. Log on to the ECS console.
2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Network & Security > SSH Key Pair.
3. Select one or more key pairs to be deleted.
4. Click Delete.

Related API: DeleteKeyPairs.