Setting up Deploy Key in GitHub to Linux server

1. Generate SSH Key (Deploy Key)

Deploy keys are usually read-only (can be made read/write if needed).

On your server or machine where deployment will run:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "deploy-key" -f ~/.ssh/deploy_key

• -t ed25519 → modern, secure key type
• -C "deploy-key" → comment for identification
• -f ~/.ssh/deploy_key → file name for the key

When prompted for a passphrase, leave it blank (deploy keys usually must be non-interactive).

This generates:

• Private key: ~/.ssh/deploy_key
• Public key: ~/.ssh/deploy_key.pub

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2. Add the Public Key to GitHub Repo

1. Go to your GitHub repository → Settings → Deploy Keys
   (URL: https://github.com/<owner>/<repo>/settings/keys)
2. Click “Add deploy key”
3. Enter:

• Title: Something descriptive, e.g., Production Server
• Key: Paste the contents of deploy_key.pub

1. Select “Allow write access” only if you need push access (otherwise leave read-only).
2. Click Add key

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3. Configure Private Key on Server

Ensure the private key is stored securely and permissions are restricted:

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/deploy_key

Add it to your SSH config so git knows to use this key:

Edit ~/.ssh/config (create if not existing):

Host github.com-deploy
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/deploy_key

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4. Test the Connection

Run:

ssh -T [email protected]

You should see:

Hi <repo-owner>/<repo>! You've successfully authenticated, but GitHub does not provide shell access.

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5. Clone or Set Remote Using the Deploy Key

Use the custom host alias (github.com-deploy) you set in SSH config:

git clone [email protected]:<owner>/<repo>.git

Or if the repo is already cloned, set the remote:

git remote set-url origin [email protected]:<owner>/<repo>.git

If you want to clone directly into the current folder

git clone [email protected]:<owner>/<repo>.git .

If you want to clone specific branch directly into the current folder

git clone --branch <branch> --single-branch [email protected]:<owner>/<repo>.git .