Use multiple SSH keys for different GitHub accounts
Written byPhuoc Nguyen
Created
19 Apr, 2021
Category
Tip
Tags
Git
Rather than entering the username and password, you often use SSH keys to access GitHub repositories. It's a more secured and recommended way to communicate with remote GitHub servers.
Sometimes you have more than one GitHub account. For example, one for accessing personal repositories, another one for your daily works.
The question is how your local Git recogranizes a repository that comes with which GitHub account. This tip will help you.
#Creating different keys
Assume that
`foo` and `bar` are two GitHub usernames that you would like to use in the same computer. You can follow the official GitHub guide to generate SSH key.shell
// Generate SSH key for `foo`
$ ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "foo@domain.com"When you're asked to indicate the file to save the key, don't use the default key. Change the name of file to something associate with the account, for example:
shell
Enter a file in which to save the key (/home/you/.ssh/id_ed25519):
`/home/you/.ssh/id_foo`Repeat the same steps for the
`bar` account. Now, we have two private keys, `id_foo` and `id_bar` located at the `~/.ssh` folder.#Adding keys to SSH agent
shell
// Delete cached keys
$ ssh-add -D
// Start the ssh-agent in the background
$ eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
// Add your SSH private keys to the ssh-agent
$ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_foo
$ ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_bar#Mapping keys to GitHub repos
This step lets SSH know which private key should be used for particular hosts.
shell
$ cd ~/.ssh
$ touch configAdd the following content to the
`config` file:shell
Host github.com-foo
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_foo
IdentitiesOnly yes
Host github.com-bar
HostName github.com
User git
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_bar
IdentitiesOnly yesYou'll realize that
`github.com-foo` and `github.com-bar` look invalid hosts, but actually they are treated as aliases. SSH maps it with the `HostName` option and uses the private key in the `IdentityFile` option.#Changing GitHub settings
Let's say that the
`foo` account accesses a GitHub repose whose URL is `github.com/foo/a-foo-repos`. Go to its cloned folder, and change the `.git/config` file as below.It's worth noting that the SSH host
`github.com-foo` created in the previous step is used:shell
[remote "origin"]
url = git@github.com-foo:foo/a-foo-repos.gitApply the similar settings for the
`bar` repositories.#See also
Questions? 🙋
Do you have any questions about front-end development? If so, feel free to create a new issue on GitHub using the button below. I'm happy to help with any topic you'd like to learn more about, even beyond what's covered in this post.
While I have a long list of upcoming topics, I'm always eager to prioritize your questions and ideas for future content. Let's learn and grow together! Sharing knowledge is the best way to elevate ourselves 🥷.
Recent posts ⚡
Newsletter 🔔
If you're into front-end technologies and you want to see more of the content I'm creating, then you might want to consider subscribing to my newsletter.
By subscribing, you'll be the first to know about new articles, products, and exclusive promotions.
Don't worry, I won't spam you. And if you ever change your mind, you can unsubscribe at any time.
Phước Nguyễn