SSH Keys

This document details the operations available for managing SSH keys in Lambda Cloud through the Python client.

Endpoint Overview

The SSHKeys module provides methods for managing SSH authentication keys:

• List SSH keys in your account
• Add a new SSH key (either upload existing or generate new)
• Delete an SSH key

SSH Key Workflow

graph TD
    A[Create/Generate SSH Key] --> B[Store Key in Lambda Cloud]
    B --> C[Use Key when Launching Instance]
    C --> D[SSH into Instance]
    B --> E[Delete Key if No Longer Needed]

Usage Examples

Listing SSH Keys

from lambda_cloud import LambdaCloudClient, SSHKeys

client = LambdaCloudClient(api_key="your-api-key")
ssh_keys = SSHKeys(client)

# Get all SSH keys
keys = ssh_keys.list()

# Display key details
for key in keys:
    print(f"Key: {key['name']} (ID: {key['id']})")
    print(f"  Public Key: {key['public_key'][:30]}...")

Adding an Existing SSH Key

from lambda_cloud import LambdaCloudClient, SSHKeys

client = LambdaCloudClient(api_key="your-api-key")
ssh_keys = SSHKeys(client)

# Read an existing public key file
with open("~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub", "r") as f:
    public_key_content = f.read().strip()

# Add the key to Lambda Cloud
key = ssh_keys.add("my-laptop-key", public_key=public_key_content)

print(f"Added key: {key['name']} (ID: {key['id']})")

Generating a New SSH Key

from lambda_cloud import LambdaCloudClient, SSHKeys

client = LambdaCloudClient(api_key="your-api-key")
ssh_keys = SSHKeys(client)

# Generate a new key
key = ssh_keys.add("new-generated-key")

print(f"Generated key: {key['name']} (ID: {key['id']})")

# Save the private key locally - IMPORTANT!
# Lambda does not store the private key after generation
with open("new_key.pem", "w") as f:
    f.write(key["private_key"])

print("Private key saved to new_key.pem")

# Set appropriate permissions on the key file
import os

os.chmod("new_key.pem", 0o400)  # Read-only by owner

Deleting an SSH Key

from lambda_cloud import LambdaCloudClient, SSHKeys

client = LambdaCloudClient(api_key="your-api-key")
ssh_keys = SSHKeys(client)

# Delete a key by ID
key_id = "A_KEY_ID"
ssh_keys.delete(key_id)

print(f"SSH key {key_id} deleted successfully")

Workflow: Generate Key and Launch Instance

from lambda_cloud import LambdaCloudClient, SSHKeys, Instances
import os

client = LambdaCloudClient(api_key="your-api-key")
ssh_keys = SSHKeys(client)
instances = Instances(client)

# Step 1: Generate a new key
key_name = "instance-access-key"
key = ssh_keys.add(key_name)

# Step 2: Save the private key
key_file = "instance_key.pem"
with open(key_file, "w") as f:
    f.write(key["private_key"])

# Set proper permissions
os.chmod(key_file, 0o400)
print(f"Private key saved to {key_file}")

# Step 3: Launch an instance with the new key
result = instances.launch(
    region_name="us-west-1", instance_type_name="gpu_1x_a10", ssh_key_names=[key_name], name="My New Instance"
)

instance_id = result["instance_ids"][0]
print(f"Launched instance: {instance_id}")

# Step 4: Get instance details for SSH access
instance = instances.get(instance_id)
ip_address = instance["ip"]

print(f"You can connect to your instance using:")
print(f"ssh -i {key_file} ubuntu@{ip_address}")