Skip to main content

Setup GitHub SSH key using Windows

GitHub SSH authentification using Windows

Updated 2 min readMarkdown
Setup GitHub SSH key using Windows

This is how I installed Git and authenticated with my GitHub repo using a ssh key using Windows OS

Download and install git

  • https://git-scm.com/

Create a folder for a git repo

  • Create a folder in your windows system
  • Open folder in git by right clicking and selecting git bash image.png

Create a ssh key (Open ssh type)

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "AddYourEmail@email.com"
  • Follow prompts and save to your .ssh folder
  • View and copy your public key you need to add this later
    nano <YOUR_LOCATION_YOU_ADDED_ABOVE>/.ssh/github-key.pub
    

Go to your github security settings

  • https://github.com/settings/profile
  • Cick SSH and GPG keys
  • Click NewSSH key image.png
  • Add public key you copied before new SSH key and add add a Title
  • Add SSH key
  • You should have a success notification

Add your ssh-agent connection to .profile

  • Open your git folder using git bash again
  • Create a .profile or edit it
    nano ~/.profile
    
  • Add these contents. Remember to edit to set path to your ssh key!
    #! /bin/bash 
    eval `ssh-agent -s` 
    ssh-add ~/.ssh/<ADD_PATH_TO_SSH_KEY>
    

Add your ssh-agent connection to .bashrc

  • You will need to add to bash as well. eg. I am using git terminal in Android studio so I will need to change bashrc
  • Create a .bashrc or edit it
    nano ~/.bashrc
    
  • Add these contents. Remember to edit to set path to your ssh key!
    #! /bin/bash 
    eval `ssh-agent -s` 
    ssh-add ~/.ssh/<ADD_PATH_TO_SSH_KEY>
    
  • Restart the app that you are using git cli
  • You should see something like
    Agent pid XXXX
    Identity added: xxxxxxxxx
    
  • Go to one of your repos and fetch remote repo by running
    git fetch
    
  • This should fetch contents without asking for key or ssh agent

Credits

  • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/3669001/getting-ssh-agent-to-work-with-git-run-from-windows-command-shell/15870387#15870387
  • https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18404272/running-ssh-agent-when-starting-git-bash-on-windows
  • https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent
  • Create ssh key
  • Header Image

Shameless Plugs

Feel free to comment with questions or feedback✌️

Happy coding,

Az 👨🏾‍💻

About the author

  • Software engineer focusing on PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, CI/CD, GitHub, AWS, Azure & Magento Commerce. I enjoy code for good projects, tech, gym, nature, travel, fried chicken, and coffee.

    All my articles are educational only from my experience.

    Feel free to connect.

No comments yet. Be the first to comment.