Key Management

Manage your SSH keys in one place for secure, password-free authentication to your hosts.

Prerequisites

Before adding a key, make sure you have:

• Chaterm installed and running on your machine.
• An SSH key pair (public key and private key). If you do not have one yet, generate a pair with ssh-keygen or a similar tool.

When Do You Need a Key?

When you add a host, Chaterm offers two authentication methods:

Method	When to Use
Password	You know the server password and do not have an SSH key deployed on the server.
Key	You have deployed a public key on the server and want to authenticate without typing a password every time.

If you choose key authentication, you must first add your private key here so Chaterm can use it during connection.

Adding a Key

1. Click Key Management in the left sidebar.
2. Click the New Key button. The add-key dialog opens.
3. Fill in the fields described below.
4. Click Create to save the key.

Field Reference

Field	Description	Required
Key Name	A friendly label for this key (e.g., Production Server Key).	Yes
Private Key	The private key content. You can paste it manually or drag a private key file into the import area.	Yes
Public Key	The matching public key content. Optional but recommended for reference.	No
Private Key Password	The passphrase that protects the private key, if one was set during key generation.	No

Import Methods

File import

• Drag your private key file into the area labeled "Drag private key file here to import."
• Chaterm automatically detects the key format. Supported formats include .pem, .key, .rsa, and id_rsa.

Manual input

• Paste the full private key content into the Private Key field. The content should look similar to:

  -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
  ...
  -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----

Using a Key with a Host

After adding a key, you can select it when creating or editing a host:

1. Go to Host Management and click Add Host (or edit an existing host).
2. Set the Authentication Method to Key.
3. Choose the key you added from the dropdown list.
4. Save the host.

When you connect to that host, Chaterm automatically uses the selected key for authentication -- no password prompt required.

For full details on adding a host, see Add a Personal Host.

Editing a Key

1. In the key list, locate the key you want to change.
2. Click the Edit button.
3. Update the key name, private key content, public key, or passphrase as needed.
4. Click Save. Changes take effect immediately.

Deleting a Key

1. In the key list, locate the key you want to remove.
2. Click the Delete button.
3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog that appears.

Before You Delete

Deleting a key is irreversible. Before you proceed:

• Verify that no hosts are currently using this key for authentication. Hosts that rely on a deleted key will fail to connect.
• Back up the private key content externally if you may need it again.