ARTIFACTORY: How to connect JFrog CLI using ssh key

Introduction

Setting up SSH server authentication for Artifactory is a pivotal step in ensuring secure and efficient communication between your JFrog CLI and Artifactory. This guide will walk you through the process, providing clear steps to Configure SSH Server Authentication , connect the JFrog CLI using an SSH key, and test the connection for a seamless user experience.


Connect the JFrog CLI using ssh key

1. Configure SSH Server Authentication

2. Generate an SSH Key: Begin by generating an SSH key specific to the user who will be accessing Artifactory. Open a terminal and navigate to the ~/.ssh folder. Use the following command, replacing <ARTIFACTORY_USERNAME> with your actual username and <ARTIFACTORY_URL> with the Artifactory URL:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -C "<ARTIFACTORY_USERNAME>@<ARTIFACTORY_URL>"

This command creates a new SSH key pair, consisting of a public and a private key, within the ~/.ssh directory.

3. Update Public Key in User Profile: With the SSH key pair generated, navigate to your Artifactory User Profile and update the public key. This step allows Artifactory to authenticate your SSH connections.

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4. Establish Connection with JFrog CLI: To connect the JFrog CLI to Artifactory using SSH, execute the following command:

jf c add

Ensure that you specify the JFrog platform as "ssh://<ARTIFACTORY_URL>:<PORT_OPEN>". Additionally, the SSH key file path should point to the private key, for example, "/Users/.ssh/id_rsa".

5. Testing the Connection: To verify that the connection has been established successfully, you can increase the log level of the CLI to debug mode using the following command:

export JFROG_CLI_LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG

Next, run the following command to ping Artifactory:

jf rt ping

A successful connection will be indicated by the following log entry: [Debug] SSH authentication successful.

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