.ssh/config file for windows (git)

Question

I've been looking for a solution on how I can use multiple ssh keys and I figured out, that it will work with a config file in the .ssh directory, but it doesn't work on windows.

My problem is that I'm using a private key to access a git server, so it looks like this: ssh://[email protected]/directory , it works fine when I'm using TortoiseGit, 'cause there is a possibility to choose the private key.

But I want to use the git rep in my IntelliJ IDEA and there is just the option to use the git native shell and it also works, if I put the key, called id_rsa ,into the .ssh folder. Now I want to use multiple ssh keys (so my key will get the name "id_rsa_test", so how do I configure the .ssh/config file under Windows, that it works with a usual git server?

The most examples I found yet are just for the use with github.

Answer 1

If you use "Git for Windows"

>cd c:\Program Files\Git\etc\ssh\ 

add to ssh_config following:

AddKeysToAgent yes IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_test 

ps. you need ssh version >= 7.2 (date of release 2016-02-28)

Answer 2

You can use multiple ssh keys on Windows 10 and specify the type of access allowed.

Assuming you have created the ssh secure keys already and they were stored in C:\Users\[User]\.ssh

1. Open the folder C:\Users\[User]\.ssh

2. Create the file config (no file extension)

3. Open the file in a text editor like Notepad, and add these configuration details for the first remote host and user. Keep both CMD and BASH paths or only pick one format. Then copy-and-paste below it for the other host/user combinations and amend as required. Save the file.

   Host [git.domain.com] User [user] Port [number] IdentitiesOnly=yes PreferredAuthentications publickey PasswordAuthentication no # CMD IdentityFile C:\Users\[User]\.ssh\[name_of_PRIVATE_key_file] # BASH IdentityFile /c/Users/[User]/.ssh/[name_of_PRIVATE_key_file] 

4. Testing

• Using Bash (Git for Windows)

  $ ssh -T git@[git.domain.com] Welcome to GitLab, @[User]! 

• Using Commandline (requires activation of Win 10 OpenSSH Client)

  C:\Users\[User]>ssh -T git@[git.domain.com] Welcome to GitLab, @[User]! 

5. For troubleshooting use ssh -Tv git@[git.domain.com] (or -Tvv or -Tvvv for higher verbosity levels).