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 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)
9 lines
Works On
Viewing:
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)
Same on:
Other versions:
Details
- Size
- 9 lines
- MD5
- 3f1a524b7dc94a154ffe884e6dcf7522
- SHA256
- 9ba338e4ccb7f2ac92703caad08c96d1df98a12c08ce472a69970f55febd3bf4
/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
-----BEGIN OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY----- b3BlbnNzaC1rZXktdjEAAAAABG5vbmUAAAAEbm9uZQAAAAAAAAABAAAAaAAAABNlY2RzYS 1zaGEyLW5pc3RwMjU2AAAACG5pc3RwMjU2AAAAQQTF/LMKK+jvjm8X8HVDmZkG98c0Fi6t k8JOGVjZ9BmqKZS7a3zEGnycrPYaAVn1ysJZbcMZcFiYYFHkBAM3lsYKAAAAsGxzivBsc4 rwAAAAE2VjZHNhLXNoYTItbmlzdHAyNTYAAAAIbmlzdHAyNTYAAABBBMX8swor6O+Obxfw dUOZmQb3xzQWLq2Twk4ZWNn0GaoplLtrfMQafJys9hoBWfXKwlltwxlwWJhgUeQEAzeWxg oAAAAgHEJmlW5Cwr7vKH/TFPQ/D5D/vZ7Vas4QtFbwbJXvhDoAAAARcm9vdEBmMjI3ZmE5 ODc1ZWQBAgMEBQYH -----END OPENSSH PRIVATE KEY-----
Copy & Paste
curl:
curl https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/3f1a524b7dc94a154ffe884e6dcf7522?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
wget:
wget -O ssh_host_ecdsa_key https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/3f1a524b7dc94a154ffe884e6dcf7522?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key
For AI Agents
<prompt><role>DevOps agent</role><source url='https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/3f1a524b7dc94a154ffe884e6dcf7522?hint=ssh_host_ecdsa_key' /><config><app>OpenSSH</app><os>Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)</os><location>/etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key</location><lines>9</lines><md5>3f1a524b7dc94a154ffe884e6dcf7522</md5><sha256>9ba338e4ccb7f2ac92703caad08c96d1df98a12c08ce472a69970f55febd3bf4</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 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa). 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 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa).
Can I use this for OpenSSH troubleshooting?
Yes. Diff it against yours to find drift, then restore only the sections you need.
