How to create Private Key (.ppk) in AWS?

What is a Private Key

A private key is typically a long, randomly or pseudo-randomly generated sequence of bits to protect your cyber assets and properties like servers, storage, etc. Private Key is the secret key used to encrypt and decrypt messages between communicators. It’s a form of symmetric encryption, i.e., the same key is utilized for both encryption and decryption purposes.

The biggest drawback here is the potential loss of the private key. If it’s lost, the system is rendered void.
It’s imperative to store your private key somewhere safe so that it doesn’t get lost or stolen.
Please take note that if a private key is lost, there is no way to either recover it or to regenerate it.

Note: A private key is required for all of our AMI solutions in AWS. Our scripts will only work with private key access via Putty.

How to generate Private Key in AWS

Step 1: Log into AWS and go to AWS EC2 Dashboard, under Resources select “Key Pairs“.

Step 2: Select “Create key pairs“, you will see the dialog below.

Step 3: Give it a name, and then select “RSA” and choose .ppk for Putty.  Press the “Create key pair” button.

Step 4: Your private key is created and should be downloaded automatically. Now, you will be able to see a record in the “Key Pairs” section.

Note: Keep the private key in a safe place, and do not lose it. If it is loss, then it is very very difficult to access your instance again.

Whenever a new instance is launched, you may associate your private key with the instance.

How to login with Private Key

To SSH into instance via private key in details, you may follow our article “How to SSH into AWS instance?“

Inside Putty, go to Connection > SSH > Auth and browse to the key generated above.