OpenSSH /etc/ssh/ssh_import_id

Original 📋 Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) 4 lines

Works On

Viewing:
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)
Same on:
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)
Other versions:

Details

Size
4 lines
MD5
8bfa390040fbeeae70bec14f2dccaf11
SHA256
88861afb27d23fd9655eefc5458db1744371de8fdb07c914d106390f24683dda
/etc/ssh/ssh_import_id
{
   "_comment_": "This file is JSON syntax and will be loaded by ssh-import-id to obtain the URL string, which defaults to launchpad.net.  The following URL *must* be an https address with a valid, signed certificate!!!  %s is the variable that will be filled by the ssh-import-id utility.",
   "URL": "https://launchpad.net/~%s/+sshkeys"
}

Copy & Paste

curl:
curl https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/8bfa390040fbeeae70bec14f2dccaf11?hint=ssh_import_id
wget:
wget -O ssh_import_id https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/8bfa390040fbeeae70bec14f2dccaf11?hint=ssh_import_id

For AI Agents

<prompt><role>DevOps agent</role><source url='https://exampleconfig.com/api/v1/config/original/8bfa390040fbeeae70bec14f2dccaf11?hint=ssh_import_id' /><config><app>OpenSSH</app><os>Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)</os><location>/etc/ssh/ssh_import_id</location><lines>4</lines><md5>8bfa390040fbeeae70bec14f2dccaf11</md5><sha256>88861afb27d23fd9655eefc5458db1744371de8fdb07c914d106390f24683dda</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_import_id
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_import_id?

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_import_id, replace it, then reload or restart OpenSSH.

Is ssh_import_id safe for production?

It is the vendor default for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat). 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 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat).

Can I use this for OpenSSH troubleshooting?

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