Mastering Ubuntu Server

Simplifying SSH connections with a ~/.ssh/config file

Before we leave the topic of SSH, there's another trick that benefits convenience, and that is the creation of a ~/.ssh/config file. This file doesn't exist by default, but if it's found, SSH will parse it and you'll be able to benefit from it.

The ~/.ssh/config file allows you to list servers that you connect to often, which can simplify the SSH command automatically. The following are example contents from a hypothetical ~/.ssh/config file that will help me illustrate what it does:

host myserver
    Hostname 192.168.1.23
    Port 22
    User jdoe

Host nagios
    Hostname nagios.local.lan
    Port 2222
    User nagiosuser

In the example contents, I have two hosts outlined, myserver and nagios. For each, I've identified ...