How do you integrate ssh public keys with other identity and access management tools?

1 SSH public keys basics

SSH public keys are based on asymmetric cryptography, which means that each user or device has a pair of keys: a private key and a public key. The private key is kept secret and never shared, while the public key is distributed to the servers that the user or device wants to access. When the user or device connects to a server via SSH, the server verifies that the public key matches the private key by using a mathematical challenge-response mechanism. This way, the user or device does not need to enter a password or use another form of authentication, such as a token or a certificate.

2 LDAP integration

LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) is a protocol for accessing and managing directory services, such as user accounts, groups, and permissions. LDAP can store SSH public keys as attributes of user entries, and allow servers to query them when authenticating SSH connections. To enable this, you need to configure your SSH server to use LDAP as an authorized keys command, which specifies how to retrieve the public keys for a given user. You also need to configure your LDAP server to allow SSH access to the public key attributes, and to update them when users change their keys.

4 AWS IAM integration

AWS IAM (Identity and Access Management) is a service that controls access to AWS resources, such as EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and Lambda functions. AWS IAM can also manage SSH public keys for EC2 instances, and allow users to associate their keys with their IAM users or roles. To enable this, you need to create an IAM user or role with the appropriate permissions to launch and access EC2 instances, and upload your SSH public key to the AWS console or CLI. You also need to specify the key pair name when launching an EC2 instance, and use the same key pair to connect to it via SSH.

5 Ansible integration

Ansible is an automation tool that can configure and manage servers, applications, and networks. Ansible can also distribute and update SSH public keys across multiple servers, and ensure that they are consistent and compliant with your IAM policies. To enable this, you need to create an Ansible playbook that defines the SSH public keys for each user or group, and the servers that they can access. You also need to run the Ansible playbook periodically or on demand, and use the same SSH public keys to connect to the servers via Ansible or SSH.