ssh-keygen
Generates a SSH key-pair.
Install
- Make sure you have ssh-keygen (try
$ ssh-keygen
if you aren't sure) - Run
npm install @micalevisk/ssh-keygen
if you're using NPM
Usage
TIP: If you set a non-empty string to the env. var.
VERBOSE
, you'll enable the verbose mode.
// With CommonJS
const path = require('path');
const fs = require('fs');
const keygen = require('@micalevisk/ssh-keygen');
keygen(
{
location: path.join(__dirname, 'foo_rsa'),
read: true,
force: true,
destroy: false,
comment: 'joe@foobar.com',
password: 'keypassword',
size: '2048',
format: 'PEM',
},
// If you omit this callback function, a Promise will be returned instead!
function onDoneCallback(err, out) {
// The error could be related to ssh-keygen binary or file system errors.
if (err) return console.error('Something went wrong:', err);
console.log('Keys created!');
console.log('private key:', out.key);
console.log('public key:', out.pubKey);
},
);
Read about the expected types here.
Parameters
-
location
: desired location for the key. The public key will be at the location +.pub
. Defaults to a file calledid_rsa
inside a temporary directory -
read
: should the callback have the key files read into it. Defaults totrue
-
force
: destroy pre-existing files with the location name and the public key name. Defaults totrue
-
destroy
: destroy the key files once they have been read. Defaults tofalse
-
comment
: the comment that should be embedded into the key. Defaults to an emptystring
-
password
: the password for the key. Falsy values will turn this into an empty string. Defaults to an emptystring
-
size
: Specifies the number of bits (asstring
) in the key to create. Defaults to'2048'
-
format
: Specify a key format for key generation. Defaults to'RFC4716'
Promise-based API
NOTE: You'll need NodeJS version 8 or later because it's rely on
util.promisify
utility.
If you don't supply the second parameter to keygen
(ie., the callback), then it will return a Promise that resolves to an plain object with key
and pubkey
properties.
How it works
The following shell command will get executed:
$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -C "joe@foobar.com" -N "keypassword" -m PEM -f ./foo_rsa
Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Your identification has been saved in ./foo_rsa.
Your public key has been saved in ./foo_rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
02:f7:40:b6:c7:b3:a3:68:16:53:dd:86:63:df:b5:33 joe@foobar.com
The key's randomart image is:
+--[ RSA 2048]----+
| o |
| o + o |
| . = O o . |
| + = * . . . |
| o . S . . E |
| + o . o |
| + . |
| o |
| |
+-----------------+
Note
It is advisable to generate your keys on a machine with a significant random source like one with a mouse/trackpad.
License
@micalevisk/ssh-keygen
is open source under the MIT license.
All credits go to Eric Vicenti.
Windows
This package bundles binaries for windows. The current version is: 2.4.4.2-rc3