OpenSSH /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key

Original 📋 Debian 12 (Bookworm) 9 lines

Details

Size
9 lines
MD5
457cbaa991416ed62fdbef950bf73876
SHA256
30297438522aff30afdc52f8820d757a48bafb82473b47cb1ed0cd077796f1d6
/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAaAAAABNlY2RzYS
1zaGEyLW5pc3RwMjU2AAAACG5pc3RwMjU2AAAAQQS4fRhd4WPCWIfE8tcU9e/vRsaS+IDh
VnJIjPusyOWpkjRQYanEyRwTMH/5K53fU9NXhcj8bT/s9M4cTVYKxn3JAAAAsIXUnKqF1J
yqAAAAE2VjZHNhLXNoYTItbmlzdHAyNTYAAAAIbmlzdHAyNTYAAABBBLh9GF3hY8JYh8Ty
1xT17+9GxpL4gOFWckiM+6zI5amSNFBhqcTJHBMwf/krnd9T01eFyPxtP+z0zhxNVgrGfc
kAAAAgfm/QhrYLv48pxtSwnL5PWFv7VLYEFL0glXUhheqxAXUAAAARcm9vdEA3NmNhNjU3
ODQ0MWMBAgMEBQYH
-----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----

Copy & Paste

curl:
curl https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/457cbaa991416ed62fdbef950bf73876?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
wget:
wget -O ssh_host_ecdsa_key https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/457cbaa991416ed62fdbef950bf73876?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key

For AI Agents

<prompt><role>DevOps agent</role><source url='https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/457cbaa991416ed62fdbef950bf73876?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key' /><config><app>OpenSSH</app><os>Debian 12 (Bookworm)</os><location>/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key</location><lines>9</lines><md5>457cbaa991416ed62fdbef950bf73876</md5><sha256>30297438522aff30afdc52f8820d757a48bafb82473b47cb1ed0cd077796f1d6</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

File Path
/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
Directory
/etc/ssh/
Significance
System-wide configuration directory
Description
Files in /etc/ contain system-wide configuration settings that affect all users.

FAQ

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.

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 12 (Bookworm). 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 12 (Bookworm).

Can I use this for OpenSSH troubleshooting?

Yes. Diff it against yours to find drift, then restore only the sections you need.