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
📋 Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver)
5 lines
Works On
Viewing:
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver)
Same on:
Other versions:
Details
- Size
- 5 lines
- MD5
- e266cb8c02a2697e57c6b338dfe9be53
- SHA256
- af784ac7e007d3e695ef1522b2956f2a3ff6aee5f77d90951898864c826cb6b5
/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
-----BEGIN EC PRIVATE KEY----- MHcCAQEEIJLk+/vKNS606AqLxU2XLkV/1Rh4znpa0q0vIm72HPyNoAoGCCqGSM49 AwEHoUQDQgAEmP+xfgGsb7yZn0ehCVzCOLfJprNiRL2xpyfCQDt+rb6LjusC1wat YrgByj3NJxXBtMVGOGtZXCgNLQVyaucbEw== -----END EC PRIVATE KEY-----
Copy & Paste
curl:
curl https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/e266cb8c02a2697e57c6b338dfe9be53?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
wget:
wget -O ssh_host_ecdsa_key https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/e266cb8c02a2697e57c6b338dfe9be53?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
For AI Agents
<prompt><role>DevOps agent</role><source url='https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/e266cb8c02a2697e57c6b338dfe9be53?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key' /><config><app>OpenSSH</app><os>Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver)</os><location>/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key</location><lines>5</lines><md5>e266cb8c02a2697e57c6b338dfe9be53</md5><sha256>af784ac7e007d3e695ef1522b2956f2a3ff6aee5f77d90951898864c826cb6b5</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 Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver). 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 Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver).
Can I use this for OpenSSH troubleshooting?
Yes. Diff it against yours to find drift, then restore only the sections you need.
