SETUP-SSHD(8)

📦 version 3.22.0, in alpine 3.24

🌸 SETUP-SSHD(8) — the setup-sshd page, bestie edition 🌸

okay so this is a page from the System Manager's Manual and it's literally all about getting your SSH daemon set up. no cap, it's more useful than it sounds. let's go 💅

✨ NAME ✨

setup-sshd — configure the SSH daemon 🦋

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

setup-sshd [-h] [-k KEY] [openssh | dropbear | none]

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

setup-sshd installs and configures an SSH server, periodt. It's got your back for openssh and dropbear. And if you pass none? It just skips SSH setup entirely — no drama, main character energy of "not today" 💀.

Here's the vibe check on how it runs:

  • You give it a server as an argument → the script runs non-interactively. It just does the thing, no questions asked. Iconic.
  • You give it nothing → it prompts you for a choice, and for openssh it also configures root login settings and authorized keys. So it's all chatty and helpful 🫶.

The -k option specifies an authorized key for root. It can be a public key, an HTTP/HTTPS/FTP URL, or none. And the SSH_KEY environment variable is used as the default — so if you set that, you don't even have to type the flag. Convenient fr fr ✨.

After installation, the SSH service is enabled in the default runlevel and started. It's alive, bestie 🔥.

💖 OPTIONS 💖

  • -k KEY — authorized key for root login. Accepts a public key, a URL (http, https, ftp), or none. This is your "here's my key, let me in" moment 🔑.
  • -h — display usage information and exit. The classic "wait, how does this work again?" flag 🙈.

🎀 INTERACTIVE MODE 🎀

Without a server argument, the script prompts:

Which ssh server? ('openssh', 'dropbear' or 'none')

Then for openssh, when no authorized key and no unprivileged users exist, the script prompts:

Allow root ssh login? ('?' for help)

The accepted values are yes, no, and prohibit-password. And the help text — that's what you get by typing ? — explains each option, so you're never just guessing 💜.

🧚 Shortcut era — key URLs expand, iykyk

These little shortcuts expand key URLs for you:

After root login is configured, the script prompts for an authorized key:

Enter ssh key or URL for root (or 'none')

The al, gl, gh shortcuts apply here too. And a key is validated with ssh-keygen — so it checks its work, as it should 👑.

🦋 FILES 🦋

  • /root/.ssh/authorized_keys — authorized keys file for root. This is where the approved keys live, lowkey the VIP list 🎟️.
  • /etc/ssh/sshd_config — OpenSSH configuration file. setup-sshd sets PermitRootLogin here. That's the line it edits, no cap.

⭐ EXIT STATUS ⭐

  • 0 — Success. Slay. 💅
  • non-zero — An error occurred. 😭 Something went sideways.

🌸 SEE ALSO 🌸

sshd(8), dropbear(8), ssh-keygen(1), setup-alpine(8) — go read these too if you're obsessed with the lore 🫶

👑 AUTHORS 👑

Natanael Copa <ncopa@alpinelinux.org> and others. Legends, honestly 💖

bestie reminder: this page is from Alpine Linux, dated 2026-06-09. Screenshot it, cite it, keep it in the group chat — it's giving documentation excellence 🌈✨💜
📦 where this page comes from