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Creating SSH Keys - PuTTYgen

Description

Shows how to use PuTTYgen to generate private and public SSH keys on Windows.

Instructions

Install PuTTY

  1. Download and install the PuTTY MSI installer for your system

    • Download link

    • Choose either 32-bit or 64-bit depending on your preference.

    • This package contains PuTTY and all the related utilities such as PuTTYgen and Pageant. The default options offered by the setup wizard are safe to accept as they are.

Starting PuTTYgen

  1. Run PuTTYgen from the Start button.

    • Normally you should be able to simple start typing "puttygen" after opening the start menu and the shortcut for PuTTYgen should appear.

    • If you have trouble finding the shortcut to PuTTYgen, you can open a file browser and browse to where you installed the application in the previous step.
      You can also select the 'All apps' button in the start menu and navigate down to the PuTTY program group.

Generate key

  1. Generate a new key.

    • We suggest using ED25519 for optimal security.

    • Select a good passphrase that is hard to guess. You will be prompted for it any time you load the private key so take care remember it or record it in your password manager.

    • Put a good comment to help identify the key later on. "Full Name <email>" is a good common practice.

    • After clicking the Generate button you will need to move the mouse in random patterns to improve the random entropy of the generated key.

    • Finally, you need to save the generated key to a file and the public key as well.
      The private key should usually not be shared with anyone but the public key can be shared freely.