Authenticating to Linux Server with SSH Keys Once you have configured the server with SSH key authentication, you can follow this to attempt connection. NOTE: Using SSH key authentication does not require a password for the remote account. From a Linux host, use this: ssh username@remote_host If this is your first time connecting to this host (if you used the last method above), you may see something like this: OutputThe authenticity of host '203.0.113.1 (203.0.113.1)' can't be established. ECDSA key fingerprint is fd:fd:d4:f9:77:fe:73:84:e1:55:00:ad:d6:6d:22:fe. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes This means that your local computer does not recognize the remote host. Type “yes” and then press ENTER to continue. If you did not supply a passphrase for your private key, you will be logged in immediately. If you supplied a passphrase for the private key when you created the key, you will be prompted to enter it now. NOTE: your keystrokes will not display in the terminal session for security. After authenticating, a new shell session should open for you with the configured account on the remote server.