azlin keys export¶

Export your azlin SSH public key to a file for sharing or deployment to external systems.

Description¶

The azlin keys export command exports your current azlin SSH public key (~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin.pub) to a specified file. This is useful for:

Manual key deployment: Add keys to non-azlin VMs
Team sharing: Distribute keys to team members
CI/CD pipelines: Inject keys into automated workflows
Backup: Create standalone key copies
External systems: Deploy azlin keys to GitHub, GitLab, etc.

The exported key is in standard OpenSSH public key format, compatible with all SSH implementations.

Usage¶

azlin keys export [OPTIONS]

Options¶

Option	Description
`--output, -o PATH`	Output file path (required)
`--format FORMAT`	Output format: `openssh`, `pem`, `authorized_keys` (default: `openssh`)
`--overwrite`	Overwrite existing file without confirmation
`-h, --help`	Show help message

Examples¶

Export to File (Basic)¶

# Export public key to file
azlin keys export --output ~/my-azlin-key.pub

Output:

Exporting azlin SSH public key...
  Source: ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin.pub
  Destination: /Users/ryan/my-azlin-key.pub

✓ Key exported successfully!

File contents:
  ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQDZk8X4h5... azlin-generated-key

Use this key to:
  - Add to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on remote servers
  - Deploy to GitHub/GitLab account settings
  - Share with team members for VM access

Export with Short Option¶

# Use -o for output path
azlin keys export -o /tmp/azlin-key.pub

Export to Specific Directory¶

# Export to secure directory
azlin keys export --output /secure/keys/azlin-production-key.pub

Export and Overwrite¶

# Overwrite existing file without prompt
azlin keys export --output ~/azlin-key.pub --overwrite

Without --overwrite:

Exporting azlin SSH public key...
  Destination file already exists: ~/azlin-key.pub

Overwrite? [y/N]: y
✓ Key exported successfully!

Export in authorized_keys Format¶

# Export with comment suitable for authorized_keys
azlin keys export --output ~/azlin-key.pub --format authorized_keys

Output file:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQ... azlin-key-exported-2025-11-24

Export Multiple Copies¶

# Export to multiple locations
azlin keys export -o ~/backup/azlin-key-$(date +%Y%m%d).pub
azlin keys export -o /secure/team-keys/azlin-prod-key.pub
azlin keys export -o /tmp/azlin-temp-key.pub

Common Workflows¶

Deploy Key to External VM¶

# 1. Export key
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-key.pub

# 2. Copy to external VM
scp /tmp/azlin-key.pub user@external-vm:/tmp/

# 3. SSH to external VM and add key
ssh user@external-vm
cat /tmp/azlin-key.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# 4. Test connection from azlin
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin user@external-vm

# 1. Export to shared location
azlin keys export --output /shared/team-keys/azlin-dev-key.pub

# 2. Team members copy and deploy
# Each team member:
scp /shared/team-keys/azlin-dev-key.pub ~/.ssh/
cat ~/.ssh/azlin-dev-key.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Add azlin Key to GitHub¶

# 1. Export key
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-github-key.pub

# 2. Copy key contents
cat /tmp/azlin-github-key.pub | pbcopy  # macOS
cat /tmp/azlin-github-key.pub | xclip -selection clipboard  # Linux

# 3. Add to GitHub:
#    - Go to https://github.com/settings/keys
#    - Click "New SSH key"
#    - Paste key and save

CI/CD Pipeline Key Injection¶

# Export key for CI/CD
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-ci-key.pub

# Add to CI/CD secrets
# GitHub Actions:
gh secret set AZLIN_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY < /tmp/azlin-ci-key.pub

# GitLab CI:
# Add as CI/CD variable: AZLIN_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY

# Use in pipeline:
# - echo "$AZLIN_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY" >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Create Key Archive¶

# Create dated backup archive
BACKUP_DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d)
BACKUP_DIR=~/ssh-key-backups/$BACKUP_DATE

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Export public key
azlin keys export --output $BACKUP_DIR/id_rsa_azlin.pub

# Copy private key (careful!)
cp ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin $BACKUP_DIR/id_rsa_azlin

# Set strict permissions
chmod 600 $BACKUP_DIR/id_rsa_azlin
chmod 644 $BACKUP_DIR/id_rsa_azlin.pub

# Create archive
tar -czf ~/ssh-key-backups/azlin-keys-$BACKUP_DATE.tar.gz -C ~/ssh-key-backups $BACKUP_DATE

# Secure the archive
chmod 400 ~/ssh-key-backups/azlin-keys-$BACKUP_DATE.tar.gz

echo "Backup created: ~/ssh-key-backups/azlin-keys-$BACKUP_DATE.tar.gz"

Export to Cloud Storage¶

# Export and upload to Azure Blob Storage
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-key.pub

az storage blob upload \
  --account-name mystorageaccount \
  --container-name ssh-keys \
  --name azlin-public-key-$(date +%Y%m%d).pub \
  --file /tmp/azlin-key.pub

# Or AWS S3
aws s3 cp /tmp/azlin-key.pub s3://my-bucket/ssh-keys/azlin-key-$(date +%Y%m%d).pub

Verify Exported Key¶

# 1. Export key
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-key.pub

# 2. Compare with original
diff ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin.pub /tmp/azlin-key.pub

# 3. Check fingerprint
ssh-keygen -lf /tmp/azlin-key.pub
ssh-keygen -lf ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin.pub

# Fingerprints should match

Troubleshooting¶

Key File Not Found¶

Problem: "Source key file not found" error.

Solution:

# 1. Check if key exists
ls -la ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin.pub

# 2. If missing, may need to create VM first
azlin new

# 3. Or generate keys manually
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin -N "" -C "azlin-generated-key"

Permission Denied¶

Problem: Cannot write to output file.

Solution:

# 1. Check directory permissions
ls -ld $(dirname /path/to/output/file)

# 2. Create directory if needed
mkdir -p $(dirname /path/to/output/file)

# 3. Use writable location
azlin keys export --output ~/azlin-key.pub

File Already Exists¶

Problem: Output file already exists.

Solution:

# Option 1: Use --overwrite flag
azlin keys export --output ~/azlin-key.pub --overwrite

# Option 2: Remove existing file first
rm ~/azlin-key.pub
azlin keys export --output ~/azlin-key.pub

# Option 3: Use different filename
azlin keys export --output ~/azlin-key-new.pub

Invalid Key Format¶

Problem: Exported key doesn't work with external system.

Solution:

# 1. Verify key format
cat /tmp/azlin-key.pub
# Should start with: ssh-rsa AAAA...

# 2. Check for corruption
ssh-keygen -lf /tmp/azlin-key.pub

# 3. Re-export with correct format
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-key.pub --format openssh

Key Formats¶

OpenSSH Format (Default)¶

Standard SSH public key format:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQDZk8X4h5... azlin-generated-key

Compatible with: - OpenSSH (Linux, macOS, Windows) - GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket - AWS EC2, Azure VMs, GCP instances - Most SSH implementations

authorized_keys Format¶

Same as OpenSSH, but with descriptive comment:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQ... azlin-key-exported-2025-11-24

Use for: - Direct addition to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys - Multiple key deployment - Key identification in authorized_keys file

PEM Format (Future)¶

RFC 4716 format (not yet implemented):

---- BEGIN SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----
Comment: "azlin-generated-key"
AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAACAQDZk8X4h5...
---- END SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----

Security Considerations¶

Public Key Safety¶

Safe to share: - Public keys can be freely distributed - No risk of unauthorized access - Cannot derive private key from public key

Safe locations: - Email, Slack, shared drives - Git repositories (in CI/CD configs) - Cloud storage (Azure Blob, S3)

Private Key Protection¶

Never export private keys to shared locations!

# ❌ NEVER DO THIS
cp ~/.ssh/id_rsa_azlin /shared/keys/  # DANGEROUS!

# ✓ Only export public keys
azlin keys export --output /shared/keys/azlin-public-key.pub  # Safe

Key Lifecycle¶

# 1. Generate keys during VM creation
azlin new

# 2. Export public key for external use
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-key.pub

# 3. Deploy to external systems
scp /tmp/azlin-key.pub user@external-vm:/tmp/
ssh user@external-vm "cat /tmp/azlin-key.pub >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys"

# 4. Rotate keys periodically
azlin keys rotate

# 5. Re-export new keys
azlin keys export --output /tmp/azlin-key-new.pub

File Permissions¶

Recommended permissions for exported keys:

# Public key (readable by all)
chmod 644 /path/to/azlin-key.pub

# Or restrict to user only
chmod 600 /path/to/azlin-key.pub

# Directory permissions
chmod 700 /path/to/ssh-keys-directory/

Performance¶

Key export is near-instantaneous: - File copy operation only - No network calls - No Azure API requests

Average time: < 1 second

azlin keys rotate - Rotate SSH keys across VMs
azlin keys list - List VMs and their SSH keys
azlin keys backup - Backup current SSH keys
azlin new - Create VM (generates keys automatically)

azlin keys export¶

Description¶

Usage¶

Options¶

Examples¶

Export to File (Basic)¶

Export with Short Option¶

Export to Specific Directory¶

Export and Overwrite¶

Export in authorized_keys Format¶

Export Multiple Copies¶

Common Workflows¶

Deploy Key to External VM¶

Add azlin Key to GitHub¶

CI/CD Pipeline Key Injection¶

Create Key Archive¶

Export to Cloud Storage¶

Verify Exported Key¶

Troubleshooting¶

Key File Not Found¶

Permission Denied¶

File Already Exists¶

Invalid Key Format¶

Key Formats¶

OpenSSH Format (Default)¶

authorized_keys Format¶

PEM Format (Future)¶

Security Considerations¶

Public Key Safety¶

Private Key Protection¶

Key Lifecycle¶

File Permissions¶

Performance¶

Deep Links to Source¶

See Also¶

azlin keys export¶

Description¶

Usage¶

Options¶

Examples¶

Export to File (Basic)¶

Export with Short Option¶

Export to Specific Directory¶

Export and Overwrite¶

Export in authorized_keys Format¶

Export Multiple Copies¶

Common Workflows¶

Deploy Key to External VM¶

Share Key with Team¶

Add azlin Key to GitHub¶

CI/CD Pipeline Key Injection¶

Create Key Archive¶

Export to Cloud Storage¶

Verify Exported Key¶

Troubleshooting¶

Key File Not Found¶

Permission Denied¶

File Already Exists¶

Invalid Key Format¶

Key Formats¶

OpenSSH Format (Default)¶

authorized_keys Format¶

PEM Format (Future)¶

Security Considerations¶

Public Key Safety¶

Private Key Protection¶

Key Lifecycle¶

File Permissions¶

Performance¶

Related Commands¶

Deep Links to Source¶

See Also¶