SSH Agent Allows Use of Passphrase-Protected Keys Without Repeated Prompts
SSH agent is a tool that stores decrypted SSH keys in memory to avoid repeated passphrase entry. It runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows systems, allowing users to authenticate multiple connections once per session. The agent signs authentication requests for SSH clients but does not transmit private keys to servers. While convenient, it involves a security tradeoff as access to the running agent enables authentication. Users can manage loaded keys and their lifetimes with specific ssh-add commands.
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