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 11 (Bullseye)
9 lines
Works On
Viewing:
Debian 11 (Bullseye)
Same on:
Other versions:
Details
- Size
- 9 lines
- MD5
- d8a32a63095aab7927c8d824b027d505
- SHA256
- 240d87c36dd8a24b5c988a3cfbf0027fd692e12c37f75ca59288092513ea1f5a
/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY----- b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAaAAAABNlY2RzYS 1zaGEyLW5pc3RwMjU2AAAACG5pc3RwMjU2AAAAQQQSqnbBf7ctaROCmMD79M7ThBF9T9aB kIJgsbz8HHrC/6r/z91Ua4ntrLx2quSv4EqAMCGaPtQMPoNsS/PxXwPiAAAAsCa/p+Amv6 fgAAAAE2VjZHNhLXNoYTItbmlzdHAyNTYAAAAIbmlzdHAyNTYAAABBBBKqdsF/ty1pE4KY wPv0ztOEEX1P1oGQgmCxvPwcesL/qv/P3VRrie2svHaq5K/gSoAwIZo+1Aw+g2xL8/FfA+ IAAAAhAMEG6MLzR6TZ+RbCK7XYv0+uAfB1xsEJAgsLU5jt/AZ0AAAAEXJvb3RAMzNjOGMz ZTJiZDcyAQIDBAUG -----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
Copy & Paste
curl:
curl https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/d8a32a63095aab7927c8d824b027d505?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
wget:
wget -O ssh_host_ecdsa_key https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/d8a32a63095aab7927c8d824b027d505?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
For AI Agents
<prompt><role>DevOps agent</role><source url='https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/d8a32a63095aab7927c8d824b027d505?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key' /><config><app>OpenSSH</app><os>Debian 11 (Bullseye)</os><location>/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key</location><lines>9</lines><md5>d8a32a63095aab7927c8d824b027d505</md5><sha256>240d87c36dd8a24b5c988a3cfbf0027fd692e12c37f75ca59288092513ea1f5a</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 11 (Bullseye). 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 11 (Bullseye).
Can I use this for OpenSSH troubleshooting?
Yes. Diff it against yours to find drift, then restore only the sections you need.
