How to Create SSH Keys with PuTTY on Windows

Solidus AITECH Compute Marketplace compute instances are Linux-based virtual machines optimized for GPU workloads such as AI training, model inference, and high-performance computing. Each instance you create is a new server that can operate independently or as part of a larger AI infrastructure.

To generate and use SSH keys on Windows, you will need two tools:

• PuTTY — used to connect to instances over SSH
• PuTTYgen — used to create SSH key pairs

Both are included in the standard PuTTY installer package.

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1. Download and Install PuTTY and PuTTYgen

1. Visit the official PuTTY website.
2. In the Package files section at the top of the page, download the .msi installer under MSI (“Windows Installer”).
3. Once downloaded, double-click the installer and follow the setup wizard to install PuTTY and PuTTYgen on your system.

These tools allow you to securely authenticate with your GPU instances without using passwords.

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2. Follow Official PuTTY Instructions for Key Generation

We highly recommend referring to the official PuTTY documentation for detailed instructions on creating and managing SSH key pairs:

Official PuTTY documentation for generating and managing SSH key pairs

This guide covers:

• Creating RSA or ED25519 keys
• Saving private keys in PuTTY format (.ppk)
• Extracting the OpenSSH-compatible public key
• Loading keys into Pageant (PuTTY’s SSH agent)

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3. Using Your SSH Key with Solidus AITECH Compute Marketplace

Once your SSH key is ready, you can add your key to your droplets. You can also add your public key to existing droplets to use SSH key authentication to log in to them.

SSH key authentication provides a more secure, scalable method for managing access to GPU infrastructure, especially in multi-instance AI workflows.