In AWS, key pairs are used to securely connect to EC2 instances. There are primarily two types of key pairs based on their cryptographic algorithms:
RSA Key Pair –
- Widely supported across operating systems and SSH clients.
- Good compatibility with older systems.
- File extension: .pem
- Used for SSH connections (Linux/Unix) and authentication.
ED25519 Key Pair
- Newer and faster than RSA with better security and smaller key size.
- May not be supported by all SSH clients or older systems.
- Also used for secure SSH access to EC2.
1. Log in to the AWS Management Console and search for EC2 in the search bar.
2. Select the Key Pairs option from the EC2 dashboard menu.
3. .Click on Create key pair, then provide a key name, select the key pair type (RSA or ED25519), and optionally add tags if needed.
4. Finally, click on Create key pair and verify that the key has been successfully created and downloaded to your system.
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