what is an ssh key

An SSH key, or Secure Shell key, is an access credential used in the SSH protocol to authenticate users and hosts in secure shell sessions between remote computers over insecure networks. It is a pair of public and private keys that are used to establish an encrypted communication channel between a client and a remote machine over the internet. The private key is kept on the users system and is used to authenticate the user, while the public key is placed on the remote host and is used to verify the users identity. SSH keys are primarily used for automated processes and enable the automation that makes modern cloud services and other computer-dependent services possible and cost-effective. They offer convenience and improved security when properly managed.