Generating an SSH Key
Series: first-crossing · Part 2
In the archipelago, you have no password. You have a key.
An SSH key is a pair of files — one public, one private — generated together by a single command. The public half is safe to share; it is what you hand to the harbormaster at the gate. The private half stays on your machine, never leaves it, and is what proves you are who you say you are. Together they form a cryptographic identity no one can forge.
If you already have an SSH key (you have used git push over SSH, or you have connected to a server before), you can skip this guide. Your existing key will work.
Check for an existing key
In your terminal:
ls ~/.sshIf you see id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub, or id_rsa and id_rsa.pub, you already have a key. Move on to the next guide.
If the directory does not exist, or is empty, generate one.
Generate a new key
Run this command. Replace the email with yours — it is a label, nothing more.
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"Three prompts follow.
“Enter file in which to save the key”: Press Enter to accept the default (~/.ssh/id_ed25519). The default is correct.
“Enter passphrase”: You may set a passphrase or leave it empty. A passphrase adds a second factor — someone who steals your private key cannot use it without also knowing the passphrase. For a game account, empty is fine. For anything that touches production systems, set one.
“Enter same passphrase again”: Confirm it.
The command reports where it wrote the two files. You are done.
What you just made
Two files now exist in ~/.ssh/:
| File | What it is | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
id_ed25519 | Private key | Only you. Never share. Never commit. |
id_ed25519.pub | Public key | Anyone you want to authenticate to. Safe to share. |
The private key is the one that must never leave your machine. If it does, treat it as compromised and generate a new one.
Ed25519 is the modern default — small, fast, and cryptographically strong. You will see older guides recommend RSA with 4096 bits. Ed25519 is better in every measurable way. Use it.
The seal you just minted
Your public key, seen through the archipelago’s eyes, becomes a short visual sigil — a seal that appears in /about, in cross-realm mail headers, and on items that originate from you. It is deterministic: the same key always produces the same seal. Players learn to recognise them like postmarks.
You will see yours the first time you connect.
Next
You have a terminal. You have a key. The next step is the crossing — pointing your SSH client at a realm and being let in.