Where are SSH keys added through DO control panel stored?

April 21, 2016 1.2k views
DigitalOcean Security Getting Started Linux Commands Ubuntu
fossterer
By:
fossterer

  1. I've deleted an (old) second SSH key from https://cloud.digitalocean.com/settings/security.
    I still see it in '~/.ssh/authorized_keys' file

  2. I've added a new second SSH key through https://cloud.digitalocean.com/settings/security.
    I am unable to see it in '~/.ssh/authorized_keys' file

Where are the changes happening? Is adding to/removing from '~/.ssh/authorized_keys' file manually equivalent to this at all?

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1 Answer
kamaln7 MOD April 21, 2016

Hi!

Adding, removing, or modifying an SSH key in any way through the control panel does not affect any existing Droplets. The changes will take effect for new Droplets only.

While the droplet is being created, any selected SSH keys will be copied to /root/.ssh/authorized_keys. Again, this is a one-time process, so you will need to SSH into your droplet and edit authorized_keys using a text editor if you need to make any changes related to SSH keys for an existing Droplet.

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  • fossterer April 21, 2016

    Ohh! Thanks.

    Now I understand why I have to choose this option as a general choice from my user account rather than from my droplet in use.

    I feel this is misleading. Do you think DO should be informed to place a notice to avoid such confusions?

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