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Creating a key pair

About this task

A key pair is a set of public and private keys. The public key is used to encrypt data, such as the login password. The private key is used to decrypt the encrypted data. You provide this key pair when you create a CloudFormation stack, and use it for SSH access to the Amazon Machine Instances.

Procedure

  1. Sign in to the Amazon Web Services Management console.
  2. In the left navigation pane, go to NETWORK & SECURITY, and click Key Pairs.
  3. Click Create Key Pair.
  4. In the Create Key Pair dialog box, in the Key pair name field, type a name for the key pair.
  5. Click Create.

    The system generates a *.pem file and prompts you to save the file on your computer. You can also view the created key pair name in the Key pair name column.

  6. Save the *.pem file.
    importantImportant

    When you create a key pair, save it. If you lose the key, you cannot retrieve it and you will not be able to access the instance.