What is sshkey?

SSH key is a cryptographic key used for secure remote login to a computer system through the SSH (secure shell) protocol. An SSH key is a pair of asymmetric keys, one public and one private, that are used to authenticate a user to a remote system. The private key is kept secret and should only be known to the owner, while the public key can be shared with any party that needs to verify the identity of the owner. When a user tries to log in to a remote system using SSH, the system verifies the user's identity by comparing the public key on file with the one provided by the user. If the two keys match, the user is granted access. SSH keys provide a higher level of security than password-based authentication, as they are not susceptible to brute-force attacks or password guessing. SSH keys are widely used by system administrators to manage remote servers and by developers for version control and software deployment.