We’ll show you how to set up SSH keys on Ubuntu 16.04. SSH or Secure SHELL is the most popular and trusted UNIX-based cryptographic network protocol. It can be used for a secure data communication, remote server logins, remote command execution, and many other secure network services between two networked servers. Normally, password authentication is used to connect to a remote server via SSH but in this tutorial we will show you how to login to your Ubuntu 16.04 VPS using SSH keys. We will generate a key pair (private and public key), place the private key on your server and then use your locally stored private key to gain access to your server. This method provides a more secure way of connecting to your server, instead of just using a password.