New SSH key for a new different user | DigitalOcean (2024)

Mouhsen Ibrahim • September 19, 2017

@TLod

Almost the same steps as before:

• Generate a key pair using puttygen save the private key to your hard disk.
• Copy the public key then log in to your droplet as root switch to your user su user then create a directory called .ssh in your home directory and create a file inside it called .authorized_keys and paste the public key there.
• Open putty enter your droplet IP then browse to SSH -> auth then choose Browse... and open your private key which you saved before.
• Open Connection -> data and enter your user name in Auto-login username
• Go back to Session choose a name for your session and choose save now you can connect.

Hope this helps.

Mouhsen Ibrahim • September 19, 2017

@TLod

• You need to create a new ssh key pair using ssh-keygen BUT BE CAREFUL to change the name of the private key to something different that ~/.ssh/id_rsa, you can call it ~/.ssh/id_user_rsa.

• Upload your new public key to the server with this command ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_user_rsa user@droplet_ip, you will be prompted for your new user’s password here.

• Then when you want to connect to your droplet using your new user use this command ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_user_rsa user@droplet_ip

Hint: if you need to create a shortcut you can use this file ~/.ssh/config add this content to it

Host user_droplet Hostname droplet_ip User user IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_user_rsa

Now connect using this command ssh user_droplet

Hope this helps, revert back to me if you needed more help.