SSH Keys Explained | Stop Using Passwords for Server Access!

Still logging into your server with a password? It’s time to upgrade your security game. In this video, I break down what SSH keys are, how they work, and how to use them to log in without a password — securely and efficiently. I’ll walk you through generating a key on Windows with PuTTYgen and installing it on a Linux server. 🎯 Perfect for: - Beginners learning SSH - Linux admins and homelab enthusiasts - Anyone wanting to ditch password logins for good 🔧 Commands Used in This Video 📍 On Your Windows Machine (PuTTYgen): No terminal command — just: Open PuTTYgen Select key type (recommended: RSA or ED25519) Click Generate, move mouse to add randomness Save your private key (.ppk) Copy the public key from the top box 📍 On the Ubuntu Server # Create the .ssh directory (if it doesn't exist) mkdir -p ~/.ssh # Open the authorized_keys file to paste your public key nano ~/.ssh/authorized_keys # (Paste your public key from PuTTYgen and save with Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter) # Set the correct permissions chmod 700 ~/.ssh chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys 🔔 Subscribe for more real-world IT how-tos: https://www.youtube.com/@BlackburnInTech #sshkeys #linux #homelab #cybersecurity #blackburnintech