Elastic Compute Service:Connect to a Linux instance by using the config_ecs_instance_connect plug-in with a public key instead of a password

Procedure

1. Run the following command in Session Manager Client to generate a Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) public key and key file:

   ssh-keygen -t rsa

   Press the Enter key as prompted. The following command output indicates that the public key and key file are generated.

   Note

   The default path of the generated public key is ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.

2. Install and start the config_ecs_instance_connect plug-in.

   Install and start the plug-in in the ECS console

   To install and start the config_ecs_instance_connect plug-in on an instance, use Cloud Assistant to run the following command on the instance.

   For information about how to use Cloud Assistant to run a command on an instance, see Use the immediate execution feature.

   acs-plugin-manager -e -P config_ecs_instance_connect --params --install

   Install and start the plug-in by using Alibaba Cloud CLI

   Note

   In this example, i-bp15vhvt43ciprqkxxxx is used as the instance ID. Replace it with the actual value.

   aliyun ecs RunCommand --RegionId 'cn-hangzhou' \
    --Type 'RunShellScript' \
    --CommandContent 'acs-plugin-manager -e -P config_ecs_instance_connect --params --install' \
    --InstanceId.1 'i-bp15vhvt43ciprqkxxxx'    

3. Send the public key to the instance to which you want to connect.

   Send the public key to the instance by calling an API operation

   Call the InvokeCommand operation to run the ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh common command to send the SSH public key to the instance.

   Take note of the following parameters:

   • CommandId: the ID of the command. Set the value to ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh.

   • Parameters:

     • username: the username to use to connect to the instance. Default value: root.

     • sshpublickey: the SSH public key. This parameter is required. Set the value to the content of the id_rsa.pub file generated in Step 1.

   Send the public key to the instance in the ECS console

   1. Log on to the ECS console.

   2. In the left-side navigation pane, choose Maintenance & Monitoring > Cloud Assistant.

   3. Click the Common Commands tab.

   4. Enter ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh in the search box and press the Enter key.

   5. The ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh common command is displayed. In the Actions column, click Run.

   6. In the Run Command panel, configure parameters.

      • Take note of the following parameters:

        • username: the username to use to connect to the instance. Default value: root.

        • sshPublicKey: the SSH public key. This parameter is required. Set the value to the content of the id_rsa.pub file generated in Step 1.

      • Select Instance: Select the instance to which you want to connect.

        

   7. Click Run.

   Send the public key to the instance by using Alibaba Cloud CLI

   Run the ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh common command to send the public key to the instance.

   Take note of the following parameters:

   • CommandId: the ID of the command. Set the value to ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh.

   • Parameters:

     • username: the username to use to connect to the instance. Default value: root. Set the value to the username that you want to use.

     • sshpublickey: the SSH public key. This parameter is required. Set the value to the content of the id_rsa.pub file generated in Step 1.

   Sample request:

   aliyun ecs InvokeCommand --RegionId 'cn-hangzhou' \
    --CommandId 'ACS-ECS-SendSshPublicKey-linux.sh' \
    --InstanceId.1 'i-bp15vhvt43ciprqkxxxx' \
    --Parameters '{"username":"ecs-user","sshpublickey":"ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQC5A0cE4tq7oq6q0NyEp/EuVNY9AGVVC1Kkp9MM2O0P+hXjghPVLk2j8rNue6IPwAcLPKwgwOMbcNKGu6U90Kt8XPE5fOyp1dakqXiG1hZFrNjfqkR7xpceV/N4tQvb5/8DCq98u85qouj/KGIvZ6+BIQKBBh96iy/iHNLVNIS0H7UmBhYM4q9jjnxa+qy1JRCvV5Cc5mRgr87LfXbx+zmNiibFF23R9B9zeY1cS7RKRvzkpUWAN46f0gwY6Lg++wtg6DPWOKQ98P9is5rFpbYLv0xkV9h9vHH95RNNxOf0/RDcD7LbF0Kjz9oHp807pNinO94fvhWe5qZDH4VT**** test@iZnl7ckqcca****"}' 

4. Connect to the instance without providing a password.

   You can use the public IP address or ID of the instance to connect to the instance without providing a password.

   Note

   In the following command, replace ~/.ssh/id_rsa with the actual path of the private key, username with the username that you want to use to connect to the instance, and instance_ip with the public IP address of the instance.

   • Use the public IP address of the instance to connect to the instance without providing a password.

     ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa username@instance_ip 

   • Use the ID of the instance to connect to the instance without providing a password.

     ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa username@instance_id 

FAQ

Why am I still prompted for a password when I attempt to connect to an instance in password-free mode?

After a public key is registered with an instance, the key remains valid on the instance for only 60 seconds. Check whether your public key is expired.

An error is reported when I install the config_ecs_instance_connect plug-in by using Cloud Assistant or by running a common command. How do I identify the cause of the issue?

References

• Use Cloud Assistant plug-ins

• View and run common commands