how to load key in putty

PuTTY is a popular SSH and Telnet client for Windows that allows you to connect to Linux servers remotely. In order to establish a secure connection, you need to load a private key into PuTTY. In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to load a key in PuTTY.

Step 1: Download PuTTY

Before you can successfully load your private key in PuTTY, you must download and install the software. You can easily download PuTTY from the official website. Once you have downloaded the software, install it on your Windows machine.

Step 2: Generate your SSH key pair

Before you can load your private key in PuTTY, you need to generate an SSH key pair. You can do this by using a command line tool like OpenSSH or PuTTYgen. PuTTYgen comes bundled with PuTTY, so we will use this tool for our demonstration.Open PuTTYgen and choose the type of key you want to generate. You can either choose RSA or DSA. Next, choose the number of bits for your key. It is recommended to use at least 2048 bits for your key.Click on the \"Generate\" button and move the mouse around to generate some random data. Once the key has been generated, it will display your public key and your private key.

Step 3: Load the key in PuTTY

Now that you have your private key, you need to load it into PuTTY. Open PuTTY and navigate to the \"Connection\" section on the left-hand side. Click on \"SSH\" and then \"Auth\".In the \"Private key file for authentication\" section, click on the \"Browse\" button and navigate to the location where your private key is stored. Select the key and click on \"Open\".

Step 4: Connect to your server

Now that you have loaded your private key, you can connect to your server. Enter the hostname or IP address of your server in the \"Session\" section. Enter a name for your session and click on \"Save\".Next, click on \"Open\" to initiate the connection. You may be prompted to accept the RSA key fingerprint, which you should do if you trust the server.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have shown you how to load a private key in PuTTY. By following these steps, you can establish a secure connection to your Linux server and access it remotely. If you encounter any issues, make sure to double-check your key settings and try again.