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Create and manage key pair

A key pair is a key used to verify credentials when connecting to an instance, and it consists of a public key and a private key.
The public key is stored on the instance, and the private key is stored and managed directly by the user. Because anyone who has the private key can connect to the instance, the user who created the private key must keep it secure.

Key pair componentDescription
Public keyPublic key registered and managed on the instance to secure instance access
- Can be checked in Virtual Machine > Key pair > [⋮] button > View public key
Private keyKey stored and managed directly by the user to connect to the instance
- Required when connecting to an instance through SSH
- Can be downloaded only once at creation

⚠️ Because anyone who owns the private key can connect to the instance, please take care with security management.

Create new key pair​

You can create a new key pair.

  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Virtual Machine in the KakaoCloud console.

  2. In the Key pair menu, click the [Create key pair] button.

  3. In the pop-up window, select Create new key pair, enter the information, then click the [Create] button.

  4. When the key pair is created, the {key pair name}.pem private key file is downloaded automatically. Image. Create key pair Create key pair

    CategoryDescription
    NameEnter the key pair name
    - Example: keypair-01_01
    - Duplicate key pair names cannot be used within the same project
    Type settingBoth types consist of a pair of a public key and a private key
    - SSH: Authentication key used in systems that use the SSH protocol
    - X509: Digital certificate used in the SSL/TLS protocol, which is a public key-based encryption technology (planned)

Upload existing key​

If an existing key file is available, you can upload the key and register it as a key pair in KakaoCloud.

  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Virtual Machine in the KakaoCloud console.
  2. In the Key pair menu, click the [Create key pair] button.
  3. In the Creation method of the pop-up window, select Upload existing key.
  4. In File information, either enter the key information directly or click the [Upload file] button.
    CategoryDescription
    NameEnter the key pair name
    - Example: keypair-01_01
    - Duplicate key pair names cannot be used within the same project
    Type settingBoth types consist of a pair of a public key and a private key
    - SSH: Authentication key used in systems that use the SSH protocol
    - X509: Digital certificate used in the SSL/TLS protocol, which is a public key-based encryption technology (planned)
    File informationUpload file: Register the downloaded key pair file
    - Uploadable extension: pub
    - Enter directly box: Enter the content in the key file directly
    info

    If you only have a .pem key file, you can create a .pub file with the following command on macOS or Linux. You can upload the created .pub file or copy and paste its content.

    Create .pub file
    ssh-keygen -y -f {YOUR_KEY}.pem > {YOUR_KEY}.pub
  5. Click the [Create] button.

View key pair list and basic information​

You can view the list of key pairs in use and their basic information.

  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Virtual Machine in the KakaoCloud console.
  2. In the Key pair menu, check the key pairs currently in use.
    CategoryDescription
    NameKey pair name
    TypeKey pair type
    - SSH: Authentication key used in systems that use the SSH protocol
    - X509: Digital certificate used in the SSL/TLS protocol, which is a public key-based encryption technology (planned)
    Created atCreation date and time of the key pair
    [⋮] buttonButton to run features for each item
    - View fingerprint: View the fingerprint of the key pair
    - View public key: View the public key of the key pair
    - Delete: Only key pairs registered by yourself can be deleted

View key pair details​

You can view the fingerprint and public key of the key pair.

  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Virtual Machine in the KakaoCloud console.
  2. In the Key pair menu, click the [⋮] button of the key pair, then check the details.
    CategoryDescription
    View fingerprintView the fingerprint, which is the unique identifier of the key pair
    - The fingerprint is used to verify that the key pair is registered correctly or to compare whether it is the same key.
    View public keyView the public key value registered in the key pair
    - This information is needed when accessing an instance or checking the key.

View fingerprint​

You can view the fingerprint of the key pair, which is used as the unique identifier of the public key.

  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Bare Metal Server in the KakaoCloud console.
  2. In the Key pair menu, select [⋮] button > View fingerprint for the key pair you want to view.
  3. In the pop-up window, check the fingerprint of the key pair.
    • To copy it, click the [Copy] button to save it to the clipboard.

View public key​

You can view the public key of the created key pair.

  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Bare Metal Server in the KakaoCloud console.
  2. In the Key pair menu, select [⋮] button > View public key for the key pair you want to view.
  3. In the pop-up window, check the public key.
    • To copy it, click the [Copy] button to save it to the clipboard.

Delete key pair​

You can delete a key pair that is no longer in use.

caution
  • Deleted key pairs cannot be recovered.
  • If you delete a key pair, you can no longer access new instances with that key pair.
  1. Go to Compute > Beyond Compute Service > Bare Metal Server in the KakaoCloud console.
  2. In the Key pair menu, select [⋮] button > Delete for the key pair you want to delete.
  3. In the pop-up window, enter the confirmation text, then click the [Delete] button.