🔒 Security: Using SSH with Git

Using SSH for Git authentication is safer and avoids entering your username/password every time. Follow these steps to set up SSH securely.

📌 Steps to Securely Use SSH in Git

1️⃣ Check for Existing SSH Keys

Before generating a new key, check if you already have one:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Add your SSH key:

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

4️⃣ Add Your SSH Key to GitHub

1️⃣ Copy your SSH key to the clipboard:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

2️⃣ Go to GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG Keys
3️⃣ Click "New SSH Key", paste the key, and save.

5️⃣ Test Your SSH Connection

Run:

ssh -T git@github.com

If successful, you'll see:

Hi your-username! You've successfully authenticated.

6️⃣ Use SSH for Git Operations

Instead of HTTPS, use SSH when cloning

git clone git@github.com:your-username/repository-name.git

To switch an existing repo to SSH:

git remote set-url origin git@github.com:your-username/repository-name.git

🎯 Summary

✅ Check for SSH keys → ls -al ~/.ssh
✅ Generate new SSH key → ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "email@example.com"
✅ Add key to agent → ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
✅ Add key to GitHub → Copy & paste id_ed25519.pub
✅ Test connection → ssh -T git@github.com
✅ Use SSH for Git → git clone git@github.com:username/repo.git