481 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
481 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
---
|
|
stage: Manage
|
|
group: Authentication and Authorization
|
|
info: "To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments"
|
|
type: howto, reference
|
|
---
|
|
|
|
# Use SSH keys to communicate with GitLab **(FREE)**
|
|
|
|
Git is a distributed version control system, which means you can work locally,
|
|
then share or *push* your changes to a server. In this case, the server you push to is GitLab.
|
|
|
|
GitLab uses the SSH protocol to securely communicate with Git.
|
|
When you use SSH keys to authenticate to the GitLab remote server,
|
|
you don't need to supply your username and password each time.
|
|
|
|
## Prerequisites
|
|
|
|
To use SSH to communicate with GitLab, you need:
|
|
|
|
- The OpenSSH client, which comes pre-installed on GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows 10.
|
|
- SSH version 6.5 or later. Earlier versions used an MD5 signature, which is not secure.
|
|
|
|
To view the version of SSH installed on your system, run `ssh -V`.
|
|
|
|
## Supported SSH key types
|
|
|
|
To communicate with GitLab, you can use the following SSH key types:
|
|
|
|
- [ED25519](#ed25519-ssh-keys)
|
|
- [ED25519_SK](#ed25519_sk-ssh-keys) (Available in GitLab 14.8 and later.)
|
|
- [ECDSA_SK](#ecdsa_sk-ssh-keys) (Available in GitLab 14.8 and later.)
|
|
- [RSA](#rsa-ssh-keys)
|
|
- DSA ([Deprecated](https://about.gitlab.com/releases/2018/06/22/gitlab-11-0-released/#support-for-dsa-ssh-keys) in GitLab 11.0.)
|
|
- ECDSA (As noted in [Practical Cryptography With Go](https://leanpub.com/gocrypto/read#leanpub-auto-ecdsa), the security issues related to DSA also apply to ECDSA.)
|
|
|
|
Administrators can [restrict which keys are permitted and their minimum lengths](../security/ssh_keys_restrictions.md).
|
|
|
|
### ED25519 SSH keys
|
|
|
|
The book [Practical Cryptography With Go](https://leanpub.com/gocrypto/read#leanpub-auto-chapter-5-digital-signatures)
|
|
suggests that [ED25519](https://ed25519.cr.yp.to/) keys are more secure and performant than RSA keys.
|
|
|
|
OpenSSH 6.5 introduced ED25519 SSH keys in 2014 and they should be available on most
|
|
operating systems.
|
|
|
|
### ED25519_SK SSH keys
|
|
|
|
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/78934) in GitLab 14.8.
|
|
|
|
To use ED25519_SK SSH keys on GitLab, your local client and GitLab server
|
|
must have [OpenSSH 8.2](https://www.openssh.com/releasenotes.html#8.2) or later installed.
|
|
|
|
### ECDSA_SK SSH keys
|
|
|
|
> [Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/merge_requests/78934) in GitLab 14.8.
|
|
|
|
To use ECDSA_SK SSH keys on GitLab, your local client and GitLab server
|
|
must have [OpenSSH 8.2](https://www.openssh.com/releasenotes.html#8.2) or later installed.
|
|
|
|
### RSA SSH keys
|
|
|
|
Available documentation suggests that ED25519 is more secure than RSA.
|
|
|
|
If you use an RSA key, the US National Institute of Science and Technology in
|
|
[Publication 800-57 Part 3 (PDF)](https://nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/SpecialPublications/NIST.SP.800-57Pt3r1.pdf)
|
|
recommends a key size of at least 2048 bits. The default key size depends on your version of `ssh-keygen`.
|
|
Review the `man` page for your installed `ssh-keygen` command for details.
|
|
|
|
## See if you have an existing SSH key pair
|
|
|
|
Before you create a key pair, see if a key pair already exists.
|
|
|
|
1. On Windows, Linux, or macOS, go to your home directory.
|
|
1. Go to the `.ssh/` subdirectory. If the `.ssh/` subdirectory doesn't exist,
|
|
you are either not in the home directory, or you haven't used `ssh` before.
|
|
In the latter case, you need to [generate an SSH key pair](#generate-an-ssh-key-pair).
|
|
1. See if a file with one of the following formats exists:
|
|
|
|
| Algorithm | Public key | Private key |
|
|
| --------- | ---------- | ----------- |
|
|
| ED25519 (preferred) | `id_ed25519.pub` | `id_ed25519` |
|
|
| ED25519_SK | `id_ed25519_sk.pub` | `id_ed25519_sk` |
|
|
| ECDSA_SK | `id_ecdsa_sk.pub` | `id_ecdsa_sk` |
|
|
| RSA (at least 2048-bit key size) | `id_rsa.pub` | `id_rsa` |
|
|
| DSA (deprecated) | `id_dsa.pub` | `id_dsa` |
|
|
| ECDSA | `id_ecdsa.pub` | `id_ecdsa` |
|
|
|
|
## Generate an SSH key pair
|
|
|
|
If you do not have an existing SSH key pair, generate a new one.
|
|
|
|
1. Open a terminal.
|
|
1. Type `ssh-keygen -t` followed by the key type and an optional comment.
|
|
This comment is included in the `.pub` file that's created.
|
|
You may want to use an email address for the comment.
|
|
|
|
For example, for ED25519:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "<comment>"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
For 2048-bit RSA:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048 -C "<comment>"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. Press Enter. Output similar to the following is displayed:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Generating public/private ed25519 key pair.
|
|
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/user/.ssh/id_ed25519):
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. Accept the suggested filename and directory, unless you are generating a [deploy key](../user/project/deploy_keys/index.md)
|
|
or want to save in a specific directory where you store other keys.
|
|
|
|
You can also dedicate the SSH key pair to a [specific host](#configure-ssh-to-point-to-a-different-directory).
|
|
|
|
1. Specify a [passphrase](https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/passphrase):
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
|
|
Enter same passphrase again:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. A confirmation is displayed, including information about where your files are stored.
|
|
|
|
A public and private key are generated.
|
|
[Add the public SSH key to your GitLab account](#add-an-ssh-key-to-your-gitlab-account) and keep
|
|
the private key secure.
|
|
|
|
### Configure SSH to point to a different directory
|
|
|
|
If you did not save your SSH key pair in the default directory,
|
|
configure your SSH client to point to the directory where the private key is stored.
|
|
|
|
1. Open a terminal and run this command:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
eval $(ssh-agent -s)
|
|
ssh-add <directory to private SSH key>
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. Save these settings in the `~/.ssh/config` file. For example:
|
|
|
|
```conf
|
|
# GitLab.com
|
|
Host gitlab.com
|
|
PreferredAuthentications publickey
|
|
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/gitlab_com_rsa
|
|
|
|
# Private GitLab instance
|
|
Host gitlab.company.com
|
|
PreferredAuthentications publickey
|
|
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/example_com_rsa
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
For more information on these settings, see the [`man ssh_config`](https://man.openbsd.org/ssh_config) page in the SSH configuration manual.
|
|
|
|
Public SSH keys must be unique to GitLab because they bind to your account.
|
|
Your SSH key is the only identifier you have when you push code with SSH.
|
|
It must uniquely map to a single user.
|
|
|
|
### Update your SSH key passphrase
|
|
|
|
You can update the passphrase for your SSH key.
|
|
|
|
1. Open a terminal and run this command:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -p -f /path/to/ssh_key
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. At the prompts, type the passphrase and press Enter.
|
|
|
|
### Upgrade your RSA key pair to a more secure format
|
|
|
|
If your version of OpenSSH is between 6.5 and 7.8,
|
|
you can save your private RSA SSH keys in a more secure
|
|
OpenSSH format.
|
|
|
|
1. Open a terminal and run this command:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -o -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Alternatively, you can generate a new RSA key with the more secure encryption format with
|
|
the following command:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -o -t rsa -b 4096 -C "<comment>"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Generate an SSH key pair for a FIDO/U2F hardware security key
|
|
|
|
To generate ED25519_SK or ECDSA_SK SSH keys, you must use OpenSSH 8.2 or later.
|
|
|
|
1. Insert a hardware security key into your computer.
|
|
1. Open a terminal.
|
|
1. Type `ssh-keygen -t` followed by the key type and an optional comment.
|
|
This comment is included in the `.pub` file that's created.
|
|
You may want to use an email address for the comment.
|
|
|
|
For example, for ED25519_SK:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -t ed25519-sk -C "<comment>"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
For ECDSA_SK:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -t ecdsa-sk -C "<comment>"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
If your security key supports FIDO2 resident keys, you can enable this when
|
|
creating your SSH key:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh-keygen -t ed25519-sk -O resident -C "<comment>"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
`-O resident` indicates that the key should be stored on the FIDO authenticator itself.
|
|
Resident key is easier to import to a new computer because it can be loaded directly
|
|
from the security key by [`ssh-add -K`](https://man.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi/OpenBSD-current/man1/ssh-add.1#K)
|
|
or [`ssh-keygen -K`](https://man.openbsd.org/cgi-bin/man.cgi/OpenBSD-current/man1/ssh-keygen#K).
|
|
|
|
1. Select Enter. Output similar to the following is displayed:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Generating public/private ed25519-sk key pair.
|
|
You may need to touch your authenticator to authorize key generation.
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. Touch the button on the hardware security key.
|
|
|
|
1. Accept the suggested filename and directory:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Enter file in which to save the key (/home/user/.ssh/id_ed25519_sk):
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. Specify a [passphrase](https://www.ssh.com/academy/ssh/passphrase):
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):
|
|
Enter same passphrase again:
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. A confirmation is displayed, including information about where your files are stored.
|
|
|
|
A public and private key are generated.
|
|
[Add the public SSH key to your GitLab account](#add-an-ssh-key-to-your-gitlab-account).
|
|
|
|
## Add an SSH key to your GitLab account
|
|
|
|
To use SSH with GitLab, copy your public key to your GitLab account.
|
|
|
|
1. Copy the contents of your public key file. You can do this manually or use a script.
|
|
For example, to copy an ED25519 key to the clipboard:
|
|
|
|
**macOS:**
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
tr -d '\n' < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | pbcopy
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
**Linux** (requires the `xclip` package):
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
xclip -sel clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
**Git Bash on Windows:**
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | clip
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Replace `id_ed25519.pub` with your filename. For example, use `id_rsa.pub` for RSA.
|
|
|
|
1. Sign in to GitLab.
|
|
1. On the top bar, in the top right corner, select your avatar.
|
|
1. Select **Preferences**.
|
|
1. On the left sidebar, select **SSH Keys**.
|
|
1. In the **Key** box, paste the contents of your public key.
|
|
If you manually copied the key, make sure you copy the entire key,
|
|
which starts with `ssh-rsa`, `ssh-dss`, `ecdsa-sha2-nistp256`, `ecdsa-sha2-nistp384`, `ecdsa-sha2-nistp521`,
|
|
`ssh-ed25519`, `sk-ecdsa-sha2-nistp256@openssh.com`, or `sk-ssh-ed25519@openssh.com`, and may end with a comment.
|
|
1. In the **Title** box, type a description, like `Work Laptop` or
|
|
`Home Workstation`.
|
|
1. Optional. In the **Expires at** box, select an expiration date. ([Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/36243) in GitLab 12.9.)
|
|
In:
|
|
- GitLab 13.12 and earlier, the expiration date is informational only. It doesn't prevent
|
|
you from using the key. Administrators can view expiration dates and use them for
|
|
guidance when [deleting keys](../user/admin_area/credentials_inventory.md#delete-a-users-ssh-key).
|
|
- GitLab 14.0 and later, the expiration date is enforced. Administrators can
|
|
[allow expired keys to be used](../user/admin_area/settings/account_and_limit_settings.md#allow-expired-ssh-keys-to-be-used-deprecated).
|
|
- GitLab checks all SSH keys at 02:00 AM UTC every day. It emails an expiration notice for all SSH keys that expire on the current date. ([Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/322637) in GitLab 13.11.)
|
|
- GitLab checks all SSH keys at 01:00 AM UTC every day. It emails an expiration notice for all SSH keys that are scheduled to expire seven days from now. ([Introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/322637) in GitLab 13.11.)
|
|
1. Select **Add key**.
|
|
|
|
## Verify that you can connect
|
|
|
|
Verify that your SSH key was added correctly.
|
|
|
|
1. For GitLab.com, to ensure you're connecting to the correct server, confirm the
|
|
[SSH host keys fingerprints](../user/gitlab_com/index.md#ssh-host-keys-fingerprints).
|
|
1. Open a terminal and run this command, replacing `gitlab.example.com` with your GitLab instance URL:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh -T git@gitlab.example.com
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
1. If this is the first time you connect, you should verify the
|
|
authenticity of the GitLab host. If you see a message like:
|
|
|
|
```plaintext
|
|
The authenticity of host 'gitlab.example.com (35.231.145.151)' can't be established.
|
|
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:HbW3g8zUjNSksFbqTiUWPWg2Bq1x8xdGUrliXFzSnUw.
|
|
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
|
|
Warning: Permanently added 'gitlab.example.com' (ECDSA) to the list of known hosts.
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Type `yes` and press Enter.
|
|
|
|
1. Run the `ssh -T git@gitlab.example.com` command again. You should receive a _Welcome to GitLab, `@username`!_ message.
|
|
|
|
If the welcome message doesn't appear, you can troubleshoot by running `ssh`
|
|
in verbose mode:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh -Tvvv git@gitlab.example.com
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Use different keys for different repositories
|
|
|
|
You can use a different key for each repository.
|
|
|
|
Open a terminal and run this command:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
git config core.sshCommand "ssh -o IdentitiesOnly=yes -i ~/.ssh/private-key-filename-for-this-repository -F /dev/null"
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
This command does not use the SSH Agent and requires Git 2.10 or later. For more information
|
|
on `ssh` command options, see the `man` pages for both `ssh` and `ssh_config`.
|
|
|
|
## Use different accounts on a single GitLab instance
|
|
|
|
You can use multiple accounts to connect to a single instance of GitLab.
|
|
You can do this by using the command in the [previous topic](#use-different-keys-for-different-repositories).
|
|
However, even if you set `IdentitiesOnly` to `yes`, you cannot sign in if an `IdentityFile` exists
|
|
outside of a `Host` block.
|
|
|
|
Instead, you can assign aliases to hosts in the `~.ssh/config` file.
|
|
|
|
- For the `Host`, use an alias like `user_1.gitlab.com` and
|
|
`user_2.gitlab.com`. Advanced configurations
|
|
are more difficult to maintain, and these strings are easier to
|
|
understand when you use tools like `git remote`.
|
|
- For the `IdentityFile`, use the path the private key.
|
|
|
|
```conf
|
|
# User1 Account Identity
|
|
Host <user_1.gitlab.com>
|
|
Hostname gitlab.com
|
|
PreferredAuthentications publickey
|
|
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<example_ssh_key1>
|
|
|
|
# User2 Account Identity
|
|
Host <user_2.gitlab.com>
|
|
Hostname gitlab.com
|
|
PreferredAuthentications publickey
|
|
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/<example_ssh_key2>
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Now, to clone a repository for `user_1`, use `user_1.gitlab.com` in the `git clone` command:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
git clone git@<user_1.gitlab.com>:gitlab-org/gitlab.git
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
To update a previously-cloned repository that is aliased as `origin`:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
git remote set-url origin git@<user_1.gitlab.com>:gitlab-org/gitlab.git
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
NOTE:
|
|
Private and public keys contain sensitive data. Ensure the permissions
|
|
on the files make them readable to you but not accessible to others.
|
|
|
|
## Configure two-factor authentication (2FA)
|
|
|
|
You can set up two-factor authentication (2FA) for
|
|
[Git over SSH](../security/two_factor_authentication.md#2fa-for-git-over-ssh-operations). We recommend using
|
|
[ED25519_SK](#ed25519_sk-ssh-keys) or [ECDSA_SK](#ecdsa_sk-ssh-keys) SSH keys.
|
|
|
|
## Use EGit on Eclipse
|
|
|
|
If you are using [EGit](https://www.eclipse.org/egit/), you can [add your SSH key to Eclipse](https://wiki.eclipse.org/EGit/User_Guide#Eclipse_SSH_Configuration).
|
|
|
|
## Use SSH on Microsoft Windows
|
|
|
|
If you're running Windows 10, you can either use the [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install)
|
|
with [WSL 2](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10#update-to-wsl-2) which
|
|
has both `git` and `ssh` preinstalled, or install [Git for Windows](https://gitforwindows.org) to
|
|
use SSH through Powershell.
|
|
|
|
The SSH key generated in WSL is not directly available for Git for Windows, and vice versa,
|
|
as both have a different home directory:
|
|
|
|
- WSL: `/home/<user>`
|
|
- Git for Windows: `C:\Users\<user>`
|
|
|
|
You can either copy over the `.ssh/` directory to use the same key, or generate a key in each environment.
|
|
|
|
Alternative tools include:
|
|
|
|
- [Cygwin](https://www.cygwin.com)
|
|
- [PuttyGen](https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html)
|
|
|
|
## Overriding SSH settings on the GitLab server
|
|
|
|
GitLab integrates with the system-installed SSH daemon and designates a user
|
|
(typically named `git`) through which all access requests are handled. Users
|
|
who connect to the GitLab server over SSH are identified by their SSH key instead
|
|
of their username.
|
|
|
|
SSH *client* operations performed on the GitLab server are executed as this
|
|
user. You can modify this SSH configuration. For example, you can specify
|
|
a private SSH key for this user to use for authentication requests. However, this practice
|
|
is **not supported** and is strongly discouraged as it presents significant
|
|
security risks.
|
|
|
|
GitLab checks for this condition, and directs you
|
|
to this section if your server is configured this way. For example:
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
$ gitlab-rake gitlab:check
|
|
|
|
Git user has default SSH configuration? ... no
|
|
Try fixing it:
|
|
mkdir ~/gitlab-check-backup-1504540051
|
|
sudo mv /var/lib/git/.ssh/id_rsa ~/gitlab-check-backup-1504540051
|
|
sudo mv /var/lib/git/.ssh/id_rsa.pub ~/gitlab-check-backup-1504540051
|
|
For more information see:
|
|
[Overriding SSH settings on the GitLab server](#overriding-ssh-settings-on-the-gitlab-server)
|
|
Please fix the error above and rerun the checks.
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
Remove the custom configuration as soon as you can. These customizations
|
|
are **explicitly not supported** and may stop working at any time.
|
|
|
|
## Troubleshooting
|
|
|
|
### Password prompt with `git clone`
|
|
|
|
When you run `git clone`, you may be prompted for a password, like `git@gitlab.example.com's password:`.
|
|
This indicates that something is wrong with your SSH setup.
|
|
|
|
- Ensure that you generated your SSH key pair correctly and added the public SSH
|
|
key to your GitLab profile.
|
|
- Try to manually register your private SSH key by using `ssh-agent`.
|
|
- Try to debug the connection by running `ssh -Tv git@example.com`.
|
|
Replace `example.com` with your GitLab URL.
|
|
|
|
### `Could not resolve hostname` error
|
|
|
|
You may receive the following error when [verifying that you can connect](#verify-that-you-can-connect):
|
|
|
|
```shell
|
|
ssh: Could not resolve hostname gitlab.example.com: nodename nor servname provided, or not known
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
If you receive this error, restart your terminal and try the command again.
|