Using Custom SSH Keys with Git Push: How to Deploy Securely with -i

🔐 How to Use -i (Identity File) with git push

When deploying to a remote server using git push, you might want to use a custom SSH key instead of the default one. While you can’t pass -i directly to git push, you can configure it through SSH in one of the following ways:

---

🔹 Option 1: Use GIT_SSH_COMMAND (Simple and Temporary)

Run the following command:

GIT_SSH_COMMAND='ssh -i /path/to/private_key' git push production master

✅ This sets a temporary SSH command that uses your custom key, just for this git push.

---

🔹 Option 2: Add a Permanent Entry in ~/.ssh/config

Edit your SSH configuration:

nano ~/.ssh/config

Add the following:

Host your-server-alias
    HostName your-server
    User sshuser
    IdentityFile /path/to/private_key
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Then update your Git remote to use the alias:

git remote set-url production ssh://your-server-alias/home/sshuser/repos/myapp.git

✅ Now, every time you run:

git push production master

Git will automatically use the custom identity file defined in the SSH config.

---

🔐 Make Sure Your Private Key Has Proper Permissions

Run:

chmod 600 /path/to/private_key

⚠️ SSH will refuse to use a private key if it’s too open (e.g., 644 or 777).

---

By configuring either of these options, you can securely and flexibly push code using a custom SSH key.