Github

SSH Keys

To be able to clone projects from Github using SSH instead of HTTPS (which will also keep it from pestering you for your Github password every time you do something), you first have to set up a public key with Github. This will allow your computer to SSH into Github's server without a password, and from there you can fetch Github projects.

Create Public Key

To create a public key:

$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your@email.com"

Now you'll be prompted with some questions, and your private and public key pairs will be generated and put into your ~/.ssh directory.

Add Public Key

Now go to Github.com, and click your personal icon, and Manage Profile.

Now click SSH Public Keys on the left hand menu.

Add your new computer name. Now you'll copy and paste your public key from the terminal.

Copy-Paste Public Key

You can dump out your public key with the command:

$ cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

That will print it to the screen, where you can copy and paste it into Github.

Test Public Key

To test that you can successfully access Github's server without a password, execute the command:

$ ssh -T git@github.com

from the command line. You should see a message that indicates you can successfully connect to Github's servers.

Use

Now we can clone projects using the SSH repository address, git clone git@github.com:username/projectname, instead of the HTTPS address.