When should I use this ssh_host_ecdsa_key?
Use it to restore a missing default, confirm what shipped, or diff against your current OpenSSH config.
OpenSSH /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
Original
📋 Debian 9 (Stretch)
5 lines
Works On
Viewing:
Debian 9 (Stretch)
Same on:
Other versions:
Details
- Size
- 5 lines
- MD5
- e9bad395f888ffa1e1bd511918141e4e
- SHA256
- a7fe20eba709d601d2640a0a7611bbb02d57487300e901120c2b3d511536bf2f
/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY----- MHcCAQEEIHpKTnirtiCVtADZ17sr2RPCsWu36mUZfY3dB4iXxdOToAoGCCqGSM49 AwEHoUQDQgAESQL0YaVl/m68cO28IvZPktY9QveV1tBxe8i8mmx8PTSuudpBr/sr UoDMsf7Ff10r3FCp0XQ8FykzZPMinMVC7Q== -----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----
Copy & Paste
curl:
curl https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/e9bad395f888ffa1e1bd511918141e4e?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
wget:
wget -O ssh_host_ecdsa_key https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/e9bad395f888ffa1e1bd511918141e4e?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
For AI Agents
<prompt><role>DevOps agent</role><source url='https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/e9bad395f888ffa1e1bd511918141e4e?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key' /><config><app>OpenSSH</app><os>Debian 9 (Stretch)</os><location>/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key</location><lines>5</lines><md5>e9bad395f888ffa1e1bd511918141e4e</md5><sha256>a7fe20eba709d601d2640a0a7611bbb02d57487300e901120c2b3d511536bf2f</sha256></config></prompt>
Paste into Claude, ChatGPT, or any AI assistant.
Install OpenSSH
Alpine Linux
sudo apk add openssh-server
Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install openssh-server
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
sudo yum install openssh-server
Ubuntu
sudo apt update && sudo apt install openssh-server
File Location
FAQ
How do I restore OpenSSH defaults?
Download the file, back up the current one in /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key, replace it, then reload or restart OpenSSH.
Is ssh_host_ecdsa_key safe for production?
It is the vendor default for Debian 9 (Stretch). Treat it as a baseline and review security and performance settings before production use.
How does this differ from other OS versions?
Defaults vary by distro and version. This copy matches Debian 9 (Stretch).
Can I use this for OpenSSH troubleshooting?
Yes. Diff it against yours to find drift, then restore only the sections you need.
