ssh-keygen


Generates a SSH key-pair using.

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1. Make sure you have ssh-keygen installed in your machine. Try $ ssh-keygen if you aren't sure
2. Run npm install ssh-keygen-lite if you're using NPM

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> TIP: If you set a non-empty string to the environment variable VERBOSE, you'll enable the verbose mode.
> Logs from the lib are prefixed by ssh-keygen-lie: while logs from the binary ssh-keygen are emitted with the prefix ssh-keygen:

``js
// With CommonJS
const path = require('path');
const keygen = require('ssh-keygen-lite');

keygen(
{
// sshKeygenPath: 'ssh-keygen',
location: path.join(__dirname, 'foo_rsa'),
type: '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 called id_rsa inside a temporary directory
- type: type of the SSH key that is generated. Defaults to rsa.
- read: should the callback have the key files read into it. Defaults to true
- force: destroy pre-existing files with the location name and the public key name. Defaults to true
- destroy: destroy the key files once they have been read. Defaults to false
- comment: the comment that should be embedded into the key. Defaults to an empty string
- password: the password for the key. Falsy values will turn this into an empty string. Defaults to an empty string
- size: Specifies the number of bits (as string) 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.

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The following shell command will get executed:

`bash
$ 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 |
| |
+-----------------+
`

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It is advisable to generate your keys on a machine with a significant random source like one with a mouse/trackpad.

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ssh-keygen-lite is open source under the MIT license.

All credits go to Eric Vicenti.

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This package bundles binaries for windows. The current version is: 2.4.4.2-rc3`