To add private and public keys for accessing VSCode on a remote server, you'll need to set up SSH key-based authentication. Here's a concise guide on how to do this:

Generate SSH keys on your local machine

Make sure the private keys are in a place that will be searched for ie C:\Users\phil\.ssh\my_keys

To generate the keys open a terminal window

Win key +xSelect terminalIf the directory it's in is:C:\Users\phil

Change to the folder you have your keys inPS C:\Users\phil> cd ./.sshSo now using pwd (print working directory) will showC:\Users\phil\.ssh

So on a windows machine use the following to make the keys 

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

Options we have in making a public private key pair

Lets break it all down

Structure of the command:

ssh-keygen [options]

Breaking down the specific command provided:

ssh-keygen: The base command to generate SSH keys.

-t rsa: Specifies the type of key to create.

-b 4096: Specifies the number of bits in the key.

Let's explore these options and other available flags:

-t (type):

Specifies the type of key to create.

Options include: rsa, dsa, ecdsa, ed25519

Example: -t ed25519

-b (bits):

Specifies the number of bits in the key.

For RSA, 2048 bits is considered secure, 4096 bits is more secure but slower.

Example: -b 2048-f (filename):

Specifies the filename of the key file.

Example: -f .ssh/my_key

-C (comment):

Adds a comment to the key, usually an email address.

Example: -C “[email protected]"

-N (new passphrase):

Provides a new passphrase for the key.

Example: -N "your_passphrase"

-q (quiet):

Silences ssh-keygen and doesn't ask for a file or passphrase.

-p (change passphrase):

Changes the passphrase of an existing private key file.

-y (read public key):

Reads a private key file and prints the public key.

-R (remove host):

Removes all keys belonging to a hostname from a known_hosts file.

-l (fingerprint):

Shows the fingerprint of a specified public key file.

So lets put it all togetherIf we want a 4096 bit rsa public and private key and we are in the folder 

C:\Users\phil

We dont need to move to the folder now as we can use the -f flag. If we want to put it in a folder thats inside “phil” called .ssh where all the keys are and we want the file to be called “my_keys” and to add my email address as a comment inside the file then I would use the following:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f .ssh/my_keys -C "myemail@mywebsite.co.uk"

Will produce 2 keys in C:\Users\phil\.sshmy_keys (private key)

and My_keys.pub (public key)

On the remote server, where the public key goes

In Scalahosting SPanel you need to switch SSH on which you do from the main admin panel and under Account Management Manage SSH Access

Copy the public key to the remote server:Copyssh-copy-id username@remote_host

The public keys need to be in a folder thats called .ssh in your root folder and the keys added to a file called authorized_keys

If using ScalaHosting you can open the terminal window and then run the following to make the folder and files:Check to see if there is already a .ssh folderHere are the commands:

To view the folders and files

ls -a

If it exists then 

cd .ssh

If it doesn't exist 

mkdir .ssh

and

touch .ssh/authorized_keys

NOTE: Make sure you run these commands from your account’s home directory. If you’re not sure whether you’re in the right place, you can use $cd ~ to navigate to it.

Set the file’s ownership and permissions. If you skip this step, your SSH client will be unable to access your public key and log you in. The commands you need to use are:

chmod 700 .ssh

chmod 600 .ssh/authorized_keys

chown $your_username:your_username .ssh -R

Ensure the remote server's SSH configuration allows key-based authentication.

In VSCode, install the "Remote - SSH" extension.

Add your SSH configuration to VSCode:

Open the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P)

Search for "Remote-SSH: Open Configuration File"

Add your server details

Host mywebsite

    HostName server9.myservers.co.uk

    User your_username

    Port 6543

    IdentityFile C:\Users\phil\.ssh\my_keys

Connect to the remote server through VSCode:

Open the command palette

Choose "Remote-SSH: Connect to Host"

Select your configured server