💡 SSH & Remote March 2, 2026 5

Linux Command: ssh-copy-id

Install your SSH public key on a remote server

Terminal — SSH & Remote

Command

$ ssh-copy-id user@192.168.1.100

Output

Copies the default public key to the server. Prompts for password one last time.

ssh-copy-id installs your SSH public key on a remote server, enabling passwordless SSH authentication. It appends your public key to the remote server's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file. ssh-copy-id handles all the details: creating the .ssh directory if needed, setting correct permissions (700 for .ssh, 600 for authorized_keys), and appending the key. After ssh-copy-id, you can log in to the server without a password. This is more secure than password authentication and is the standard for server management.

Syntax

ssh-copy-id [OPTION]... [USER@]HOSTNAME

Common Examples

ssh-copy-id user@192.168.1.100 — Copies the default public key to the server. Prompts for password one last time.
ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/deploy_key.pub deploy@server.com — Copies a specific key to the server.
ssh-copy-id -p 2222 admin@server.example.com — Copies key to a server running SSH on port 2222.
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 && ssh-copy-id user@server && ssh user@server — Full workflow: generate key, copy to server, connect passwordless.