`ssh` is what sets ttylde apart from other social networks. you connect *directly to another computer's console* instead of connecting via a web page or a mobile app.
Before the days of the world-wide-web, this is how all computer work got done.
People used to use a tool called [`telnet`](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/telnet) for this purpose. Nowadays, we use `ssh`.
___
# How to make an ssh key
This method will create two keys: a public and a private key. This is a method of encryption called [public key encryption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography).
Make sure to *always* keep your private key private! Otherwise, bad people can do bad things while pretending to be you.
___
If you have any questions, be sure to ask on IRC! The channel is `#ttylde`.
See [the wiki page on IRC](https://ttylde.karx.xyz/wiki.php?page=irc) for more info.
___
## Generating the keypair
1. Open your terminal
2. Create your .ssh directory if it doesn't exist:
```bash
mkdir -m 700 ~/.ssh
```
3. Create your keys:
```bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -a 100
```
- If you accept the defaults, your public key and private key will be located at `~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub` and `~/.ssh/id_ed25519`, respectively.
- Paste the contents of your public key file into the SSH Key field on the signup form
## Using the keypair
Once an admin approves your application, simply run the following command to connect: