There will be times when you demand to actually view your SSH certificates in Linux. Why? Say, for case, you need to add a certificate for hallmark in GitHub (or any other online service that requires SSH authentication). You know you've created those SSH certificates, but how do you view them?

For those who are familiar with SSH, you probably already know the answer to that question. After all, this is pretty basic SSH stuff. For those who are new to the ways of SSH (or Linux, macOS, or Windows for that matter), the task might stump you lot.

Never fright, that's why I'1000 hither.

I want to show you just how piece of cake information technology is to view those SSH keys, so you tin can use them for third-party services.

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What you'll need

The only thing you'll demand for this is access to a server or desktop (Linux, macOS, or Windows) and an SSH fundamental created. If y'all've not already created your SSH fundamental pair, you lot tin do so with the command:

ssh-keygen

That command will generate a fundamental pair, both public and private keys. The public primal is that which you transport to servers for SSH key authentication. When you attempt to log in to that server, SSH will compare the public and individual keys. If those keys are a match, you'll exist immune access. Unproblematic enough. You're ready to move on.

How to view your SSH public key on Linux

There are two easy ways to view your SSH public fundamental in Linux. The first method is a chip complicated, because it makes employ of both ssh-agent and ssh-add commands. This is probably overkill for what you need, just it's a expert way to view the primal, while requiring your SSH keypair password. The control is:

ssh-amanuensis sh -c 'ssh-add; ssh-add -L'

Upon successful authentication, your SSH public primal will print out in the last. You can then copy that and paste it where you need. Of form, that'due south a lot of commands to remember, particularly when you just need to view the contents of the public key.

If you don't desire to have to memorize yet another command, you could just utilise the cat command like so:

true cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

The above command will print out your SSH key on your Linux machine, without prompting you for your cardinal authentication password.

How to view your SSH public key on macOS

Viewing your keys on macOS can be done in like fashion as Linux. Open your terminal window and issue the command:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Or:

cat /Users/USERNAME/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Where USERNAME is your macOS username.

The above commands volition print out your SSH public key.

macOS too has i more than nifty trick up its sleeve. You tin can copy the contents of the SSH key directly to the clipboard, without displaying the central, using the pbcopy tool. This command would exist:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | pbcopy

Once you lot've copied the central to your clipboard, y'all can paste it wherever y'all need information technology.

How to view your SSH public primal on Windows

On Windows, you'll use the blazon control to view your SSH public key like and so:

type C:UsersUSERNAME.sshid_rsa.pub

Where USERNAME is the name of your user.

The above command will brandish your SSH public key. You lot can then use the Ctrl+c keyboard shortcut to copy the contents of the file.

Y'all can likewise do something similar to what we did on macOS (copying the SSH public cardinal directly to the clipboard) using the type and clip commands like so:

blazon C:UsersUSERNAME.sshid_rsa.pub | clip

Where USERNAME is your username.

You can now paste that cardinal wherever you demand it.

How to view your individual key

Chances are you're not always going to have to view your individual fundamental. After all, that's the secret in the sauce that'southward never on display for anyone to encounter. But, on the off chance you do need to view that key, y'all tin can follow the aforementioned steps equally above, just remove the .pub from the file name (in any example). Remember id_rsa is the private key and id_rsa.pub is the public key.

And that'south all at that place is to viewing your SSH public and private keys on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Simply recollect, treat these keys with the care and security they deserve. Although your public key volition be handed out to other users and services, that individual central needs to be tucked away and never shown to the public. If you lot do accidentally release that private primal, y'all'll need to remove the public cardinal from the authorized_keys file from every server that uses the keypair, delete the public and individual keys on the host, generate a new keypair, and transport it to the servers y'all need to log in to with SSH key authentication. If y'all exit whatever trace of that compromised key pair on any server or desktop, you lot run the risk of allowing someone admission.

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