đ„ A video walkthrough of how to generate an SSH key pair using PuTTYgen đ„
Video passcode: ZaZEa9#*
Overview: This guide explains how to create an OpenSSH-formatted public/private key pair using PuTTYgen. This method adheres to the specific requirements for Slate CRM SFTP integrations and is also compatible with many other CRMs.
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âNote: If youâre using MacOS, please refer to this article instead.
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What is a key pair: A key pair is a tool used to authenticate and secure the connection between you/your CRM and CollegeVine. Access to the SFTP folder is restricted to users with the correct username, private key, public key, and allowed IP addresses, making it more secure than a standard username and password.
Download PuTTyGen or ensure you have the most up-to-date version.
Go to this website and click the installation option best suited for your machine.
The 64-bit x86 or 32-bit x86 options are most common. For Windows devices, to determine if your system is 32- or 64-bit, go to Start > Settings > System >About. Under Device specifications, you can see the System type (64- or 32-bit.)
Go to your downloads folder (or the downloads button in your browser) and open the installer you just downloaded.
Click âNextâ on the next two screens
Click âInstall PuTTY filesâ and then âInstallâ
2. After installation is complete, open up the PuTTYgen app (note: donât open the PuTTY app). You can open up Windows Search or your Taskbar to search for your new PuTTYgen app.
3. An empty PuTTY Key Generator window (screenshot below) will open up. Ensure your parameters are set to the following, which should already be the default settings:
Type of key to generate: RSA
Number of bits in a generated key: 2048
4. Click âGenerateâ and then move your mouse around the screen below the green bar.
5. When finished, you will see something similar to the screenshot below:
6. Copy the Public Key listed in the top box. Start highlighting at the âssh-rsaâ line and copy all the way to the end of the key.
In the example above, I ultimately copied the whole public key:
ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQCn5OR2hChklveWZxfuBlJ7qv18h7kpPOAwrEQDM9Ie0diQoqnDmx9FfOSYUZErMxqnsVg7dLKRFZgmbf1zTuPZMdFdUC1xe4GJR7u2Yr3EUIlqpNJ88ANN7y3qsZTeWaRjOTx/5Usi2ljDstOfJm/azq695FfAWCmDUiqIKUwOQ1SWZzmjtM3CxTPisIU9ybUYhR+5Q5XNZ/ZdiXSbTTsaaqTqV4FnaprCnZ66Uxpx6lcnmQmrwXHbv/OabHP3FxvNkXHV9xPmLii3ablKRVxFjYrPmv+cParyjtKOoVxtfRoV24ZwmBmZZT5h+iUUBQ7rVj0djFiZG7v0exUkZhc7 rsa-key-20241213
This public key is just an example, donât use this public key because it wonât work for you!
7. Paste the public key inside of CollegeVine. Donât forget to click âNextâ to save the key!
8. We recommend that you save the public key file to your computer for future reference by clicking âSave public keyâ on the PuTTY Key Generator screen:
9. Now itâs time to save the PRIVATE key portion of your key pair.
First, ensure you have NOT entered anything into the âKey passphraseâ or âConfirmâ boxes â these must be empty.
Then go to Conversions > Export OpenSSH Key.
10. When prompted with the PuTTYgen warning âAre you sure you want to save this key without a passphrase to protect it?â click Yes.
11. After you enter a file name and pick a location to save the file, click âSaveâ. Then navigate to the file (via your desktop or your file browser) and open it to view the contents. When prompted, you can open the file with Notepad.
12. When you open the file, you should see your private key in a format that looks identical to the screenshot below (just with different characters). Highlight the whole key to copy it, as shown below!
13. Paste the private key inside your Slate user (or if you use a different CRM/tool, paste the private key wherever you are authenticating your connection.) And then click âSaveâ.