SSH Private Key Authentication

NetLD supports SSH private key authentication for connecting to network devices. This allows you to use key based authentication instead of (or in addition to) password based authentication for device backup, configuration management, and terminal sessions.

Overview

When SSH private key authentication is configured for a credential set, NetLD uses the private key to authenticate with devices during:

  • Backup and restore operations – configuration backups via SSH/SCP
  • Terminal proxy sessions – interactive SSH sessions through the NetLD web UI
  • Tool execution – adapter-based operations such as OS push scripts

If both a private key and a password are configured, NetLD attempts key based authentication first and falls back to password authentication if the key is rejected.

Note:

When using SSH key authentication, ensure that the corresponding public key is properly configured on the target devices (authorized_keys file) to allow successful authentication.

If the public key is not set up correctly on the device, authentication will fail and NetLD will fall back to password authentication if a password is configured.