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The SSH Keys API manages public keys for SSH authentication and remote host configurations.

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Overview

Rexec’s SSH features:
  • Store SSH public keys for container access
  • Manage remote hosts (jump hosts, production servers)
  • Auto-sync keys to containers
  • Support for ed25519, rsa, ecdsa key types
Private keys are never stored. Rexec only stores public keys for authorized_keys injection.

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SSH keys

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List SSH keys

GET /api/ssh/keys
curl
curl https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
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id
string
Key ID
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name
string
Key name/label
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public_key
string
Public key content (ssh-ed25519, ssh-rsa, ecdsa-sha2-nistp256)
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fingerprint
string
SHA256 fingerprint
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key_type
string
Key algorithm (ed25519, rsa, ecdsa)
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created_at
string
ISO timestamp
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last_used_at
string
Last authentication timestamp

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Add SSH key

POST /api/ssh/keys
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name
string
required
Key name (e.g., “MacBook Pro”, “Work Laptop”)
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public_key
string
required
Public key in OpenSSH format
curl
curl -X POST https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "MacBook Pro",
    "public_key": "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIJvZ..."
  }'
Ensure you’re adding the PUBLIC key (.pub file), not the private key.

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Delete SSH key

DELETE /api/ssh/keys/:id
curl
curl -X DELETE https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/keys/key_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
Deleting a key removes it from all containers where it was synced.

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Container SSH access

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Get SSH connection info

GET /api/ssh/connect/:containerId Get SSH connection details for a container.
curl
curl https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/connect/cont_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
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host
string
SSH host (Rexec gateway IP)
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port
integer
SSH port (usually 2222)
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username
string
Container username (usually root)
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container_id
string
Target container ID
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ssh_command
string
Ready-to-use SSH command

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Sync SSH keys to container

POST /api/ssh/sync/:containerId Sync all user SSH keys to container’s authorized_keys.
curl
curl -X POST https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/sync/cont_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
Keys are auto-synced when container is created. Manual sync is only needed after adding new keys.

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Check SSH server status

GET /api/ssh/status/:containerId Check if SSH server is installed and running.
curl
curl https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/status/cont_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
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installed
boolean
Whether SSH server is installed
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running
boolean
Whether SSH daemon is running
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port
integer
Container’s internal SSH port

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Install SSH server

POST /api/ssh/install/:containerId Install and configure SSH server in container.
curl
curl -X POST https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/install/cont_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
Installation detects OS (apt, yum, apk) and installs openssh-server automatically.

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Remote hosts

Manage remote hosts for SSH access through Rexec (jump host functionality).

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List remote hosts

GET /api/ssh/hosts
curl
curl https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/hosts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
​
id
string
Host ID
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name
string
Host name
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hostname
string
IP address or domain
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port
integer
SSH port (default: 22)
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username
string
SSH username
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identity_file
string
Path to private key on Rexec server

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Add remote host

POST /api/ssh/hosts
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name
string
required
Friendly name for host
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hostname
string
required
IP address or domain
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username
string
required
SSH username
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port
integer
SSH port (default: 22)
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identity_file
string
Path to private key (must be uploaded separately)
curl
curl -X POST https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/hosts \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Production DB",
    "hostname": "db.example.com",
    "username": "ubuntu",
    "port": 22
  }'

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Delete remote host

DELETE /api/ssh/hosts/:id
curl
curl -X DELETE https://api.rexec.sh/api/ssh/hosts/host_123 \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

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SSH config integration

Generate SSH config for local client: 
# ~/.ssh/config
Host rexec-*
  HostName api.rexec.sh
  Port 2222
  User root
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
  StrictHostKeyChecking no
  UserKnownHostsFile /dev/null

# Connect to container
ssh rexec-cont_abc123

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Key management best practices

  • Use ed25519 keys (smaller, faster, more secure)
  • Rotate keys every 6-12 months
  • Use different keys for different security zones
  • Never share private keys
  • Delete keys when devices are decommissioned

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