SSH Keys and Agent Cheat Sheet/Generate an RSA key

Create an RSA key pair for compatibility when needed.

Section: Key Generation

Generate an RSA key

bash
bash
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C 'you@example.com'
Explanation

Create an RSA key pair for compatibility when needed.

Learn the surrounding workflow

Compare similar commands or jump into common fixes when this command is part of a bigger troubleshooting path.

Related commands

Same sheet · prioritizing Key Generation
Generate an Ed25519 key
Create a modern SSH key pair.
OpenIn sheetbashsame section
Generate a key at a custom path
Write a key pair to a chosen file.
OpenIn sheetbashsame section
Generate a key without passphrase
Skip passphrase prompts, usually only for automation accounts.
OpenIn sheetbashsame section
Change key passphrase
Update the passphrase on an existing private key.
OpenIn sheetbashsame section
Show a key fingerprint
Print the fingerprint of a public key file.
OpenIn sheetbashsame section
Show randomart for a key
Display a visual fingerprint representation.
OpenIn sheetbashsame section