Creating a Remote Server on DigitalOcean with Arch Linux

Table of contents

1. Generate SSH keys
2. Add SSH Key to DigitalOcean
3. Add a Custom Arch Linux Image
4. Create a Droplet Running Arch Linux
5. Using cloud-init for Automation
6. Connect to Your Droplet Using SSH

1. Generate an SSH Key

What are SSH keys?

• SSH Keys are a secure authentication method for accessing remote systems. They consist of a public key store on the server, and a private key kept on your local machine. This eliminates the need for a password, providing a more secure way of logging in.

Steps to create an SSH key pair On windows, you may have to create a .ssh directory in your home directory first.

~ = your home directory.

i. Open your terminal and run the following commmand:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/do-key -C "your email address"

In powershell, Tilde does not always work. You may have to enter the full path. Replace "your-user-name" with your Windows user name, and "youremail@email.com" with your email account.

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f C:\Users\your-user-name\.ssh\do-key -C "youremail@email.com"

ii. After running that command, you will recieve a prompt to enter a passphrase. You can leave this blank. If you do decide to create a passphrase, make sure to remember it/have it written down somewhere safe.

iii. You will recieve the key fingerprint. Select and copy your key fingerprint.

2. Add your SSH Key to DigitalOcean Why add SSH keys to DigitalOcean? Adding your SSH key to DigitalOcean will allow you to securely access any droplet you create, without the need to enter a password.

   1. Log in to digital ocean
   2. Navigate to Settings on the side bar
   3. Click Settings>Security>Add SSH Key
   4. Paste the previously copied randomart image into the SSH Key content
   5. Create a name for your SSH Key, click "Add SSH Key"

3. Add a Custom Arch Linux Image Why use a custom Arch Linux image? Arch Linux is not a default option on DigitalOcean, therefore, you will need to upload a custom image if you want to use it.

   Download the Arch Linux Image here

   Ensure you download this:

4. Create a Droplet Running Arch Linux

   1. Click on droplets on the side bar
   2. Under Choose an image, select Custom Images and pick the Arch Linux image you uploaded from earlier.
   3. Select the following options:
      • Choose region: San Francisco
      • Droplet Type: Share CPU, Basic
      • CPU Options: Premium AMD and $7/Month option
      • Authentication Method: SSH Key, select the SSH Key you created
   4. Click Create Droplet

5. Using cloud-init for Automation What is cloud-init? Cloud-init is a tool to automate the initilization of cloud instances during a system boot. It is useful for tasks like:

   • Setting up new users
   • Installing packages
   • Running scripts
   • Configuring networks without manual intervention Red Hat Documentation

   Use a cloud-init configuration file to automate initial setup tasks

   1. Create a yaml file called cloud-config.yaml in your .ssh directory. Inside the yaml file, you should have the following contents:

   #cloud-config
       users:
         - name: user-name #change me
           primary_group: group-name #change me
           groups: wheel
           shell: /bin/bash
           sudo: ['ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL']
           ssh-authorized-keys:
             - ssh-ed25519 ...
   
       packages:
       - ripgrep
       - rsync
       - neovim
       - fd
       - less
       - man-db
       - bash-completion
       - tmux
   
       disable_root: true 
   
   
   

Citations:

Red Hat. "Introduction to Cloud-Init." Configuring and Managing Cloud-Init for RHEL 9, Red Hat, https://docs.redhat.com/en/documentation/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9/html/configuring_and_managing_cloud-init_for_rhel_9/introduction-to-cloud-init_cloud-content.