TheLazy.Dev
Portfolio GitHub

Blog

git |ssh |github |gitlab

Multiple SSH keys for different Git accounts

vinhle

Vinh Le

Posted on September 11, 2022

Multiple SSH keys for different Git accounts

🗒️ Content

  1. Before SSH Keys Setup
  2. Connecting to GitLab with SSH
  3. Connecting to GitHub with SSH
  4. A Better Keys Organization

1. Before SSH Keys Setup

  • Checking for existing SSH keys file 
$ ls ~/.ssh
id_rsa  id_rsa.pub  known_hosts
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • Confirm active public SSH keys (*.pub) in ssh-agent 
$ ssh-add -L
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • Remove all old keys 
$ rm -r ~/.ssh
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

2. Connecting to GitLab with SSH

  • Step 1: Generate an SSH key pair 
$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "<your_email_01>@gmail.com"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/<user>/.ssh/id_ed25519): /home/<user>/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • Step 2: Add an SSH key to your GitLab account 
$ cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab.pub
# or
$ xclip -sel clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab.pub
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Copy the contents of your public key file by manually or a script. Then coming to GitLab > Preferences > SSH Keys

  • Step 3: Verify that you can connect 
$ ssh -T git@gitlab.com
...
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
Welcome to GitLab, <user_name>!
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

3. Connecting to GitHub with SSH

  • Step 1: Generate an SSH key pair 
$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "<your_email_02>@gmail.com"
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/<user>/.ssh/id_ed25519): /home/<user>/.ssh/id_ed25519_github
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
  • Step 2: Add an SSH key to your GitLab account 
$ cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_github.pub
# or
$ xclip -sel clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_github.pub
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Copy the contents of your public key file by manually or a script. Then coming to GitHub > Settings > SSH and GPG keys

  • Step 3: Verify that you can connect 
$ ssh -T git@github.com
...
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
Hi <user_name>! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

4. A Better Keys Organization

For more information on these settings, see the man ssh_config

$ cd ~/.ssh/
$ touch config
$ vi config
# GitLab
Host gitlab.com
  PreferredAuthentications publickey
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_gitlab

# GitHub
Host github.com
  PreferredAuthentications publickey
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_github
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode
💖 💪 🙅 🚩
vinhle
Vinh Le

Posted on September 11, 2022

Join Our Newsletter. No Spam, Only the good stuff.

Sign up to receive the latest update from our blog.

Related

Connect to multiple Git accounts of the same vendor (GitHub, Gitlab) portal
git Connect to multiple Git accounts of the same vendor (GitHub, Gitlab) portal

April 18, 2023

Multiple SSH keys for different Git accounts
git Multiple SSH keys for different Git accounts

September 11, 2022