How to clone private Git repos using SSH Deploy keys

Run the following command to generate a new SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"

• Replace [email protected] with the email address you use for your Git account.
• The -t ed25519 flag specifies the type of key to create (Ed25519 is recommended for new keys).

You'll be prompted to enter a filename to save the key. To create a key specifically for Git, type /root/.ssh/id_ed25519_git:

Enter file in which to save the key (/root/.ssh/id_ed25519): /root/.ssh/id_ed25519_git

Do not Set a Passphrase! (For deploy keys this should be skipped)

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
Enter same passphrase again:

Open Git config: ~/.ssh/config

nano ~/.ssh/config

Add the following part:

Host github.com
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_git
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Copy the SSH key to your clipboard:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_git.pub

Add the SSH Key as a Deploy Key to your Repository

• Go to your repository on GitHub.
• Navigate to "Settings" > "Deploy keys" (e.g. https://github.com/PROFILE/REPOSITORY/settings/keys)

• Click "Add deploy key", give it a title, paste the SSH key. You might need to verify your identity e.g. with 2FA verification.

• If you succeed you will see something like this:

For further an in-depth extensive guide visit Docs.Github.com.

Optional: check SSH connection:

ssh -T [email protected]

If set up correctly you should see something like this:

Hi USER_NAME/PROJECT! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

Clone your Repository:

git clone [email protected]:USER_NAME/PROJECT.git

NOTE: USER_NAME may differ from your GitHub username, especially if you're acting as a member of an organization. In such cases, you might need to use the organization's username instead of your own.

By default Github show your HTTPS link to your repo, be sure that you are using the SSH version: