How do I establish an SSH connection with a private/public key pair?

PhotoSync allows you to securely transfer your photos and videos via SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol). If you do not want to use your password directly in PhotoSync, you can also create an SSH key pair, add the public key to your SFTP server, and use the private key with PhotoSync to authenticate with your server.

For security reasons, many SSH servers now expect keys generated with the Ed25519 algorithm. You can generate the key with the following command:

Bash 

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 100 -C "my device"

This means:

  • -a 100 → stronger KDF hardening against password attacks
  • -C → comment for identification

The files are then typically located in:

Bash 

~/.ssh/id_ed25519
~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Now add the public key to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on your SFTP server, for example via

Bash 

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub username@server

Please transfer the private key to your iOS device, either via iTunes File Sharing with PhotoSync, or by sending the private key to your iOS device and saving it in the Files app or to the clipboard.

In PhotoSync, you can then add the private key in the connection settings of the SFTP connection by tapping the key icon in the password field.

SFTP configuration
SFTP configuration
Select SSH key source
Select SSH key source
Selecting an SSH key
Selecting an SSH key
SFTP configuration with selected SSH key
SFTP configuration with selected SSH key

Once the key has been added, you can establish the connection by tapping Done.

1264 out of 2512 found this article helpful
Was this article helpful? Yes | No

Go back

Need more support?