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Mahajurul Karim
Mahajurul Karim

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🚀 How I Configured SSH Access from My Local Linux Mint to a VPS

#devops #webdev #vps

🚀 How I Configured SSH Access from My Local Linux Mint to a VPS

A clean DevOps-style SSH setup for secure and fast server access.

🧠 Architecture Overview (Diagram) 

flowchart LR
    A[Local Linux Mint Machine] --> B[SSH Key Pair]
    B --> C[Private Key: moti-dig-1]
    B --> D[Public Key: moti-dig-1.pub]

    D --> E[VPS Server]
    E --> F[~/.ssh/authorized_keys]

    A -->|ssh moti-dig-1| E
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🔐 Step 1: Generate SSH Key (Custom Name)

Instead of default keys like id_rsa, I created a dedicated key for this server:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "moti-dig-1" -f ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1
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This creates:

  • ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1 → Private key
  • ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1.pub → Public key

📤 Step 2: Copy Public Key to VPS 

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1.pub -p 44 root@165.22.104.176
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This installs the public key into:

~/.ssh/authorized_keys
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on the VPS.

🧪 Step 3: Test SSH Connection 

ssh -i ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1 -p 44 root@165.22.104.176
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Once successful, we move to automation.

⚙️ Step 4: SSH Config for Clean Access

Edit SSH config:

nano ~/.ssh/config
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Add:

Host moti-dig-1
    HostName 165.22.104.176
    User root
    Port 44
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1
    StrictHostKeyChecking accept-new
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⚡ Step 5: Connect with Simple Command

Now access the server with:

ssh moti-dig-1
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No IP, no port, no key flags.

🔒 Security & Best Practices

  • Use ed25519 keys (modern & secure)
  • Keep one key per server/project
  • Use SSH config for clean workflow
  • Set proper permissions: 
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/moti-dig-1
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/config
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🚀 Final Thoughts

This setup improves:

  • Security 🔐
  • Productivity ⚡
  • Maintainability 🧹
  • DevOps readiness ☁️

If you manage multiple servers, this setup is a must-have for scaling your workflow like a professional DevOps engineer.

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