SSH Connection with GitHub (Windows)

Introduction

SSH (Secure Shell) allows you to securely connect your local system to GitHub without entering your username and password every time.

There are two common types of SSH keys:

• RSA (Rivest–Shamir–Adleman) — widely used in organizations
• ED25519 (EdDSA) — modern, faster, and more secure

👉 You can use either, but ED25519 is recommended, while RSA is still commonly used in companies.

An SSH key pair consists of:

• Private Key → Must be kept secret
• Public Key → Can be shared with GitHub or organizations

Step-by-Step Setup (Windows)

💡 Use Git Bash/Power Shell for all commands below

Step 1: Check Existing SSH Keys

ls ~/.ssh

Generate a New SSH Key

Recommended (ED25519):

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

Alternative (RSA):

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

Press Enter to save in default location.

Optional passphrase:

• Press Enter to skip
• Or set for extra security

Step: Verify the Newly Created SSH Key

Run the following command:

ls ~/.ssh

View Your Public Key

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

Now copy this and add it your github manually

• Go to settings

then go to SSH and GPG keys

add the new SSH key, and you will see your key over here.

Congratulations! Your SSH key has been successfully added to your GitHub account.

git@github.com:XYZ/Clone_git_repo_using_SSH.git

this will help you to clone private repo if you have permission.