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Max Koretskyi
Asked: 2015-11-01 21:26:46 +0800 CST

Logging to remote server without specifying username

  • 772

Today I configured ssh keys access to my server. Then I tested them and by mistake I forgot to specify the user, so instead of doing it like that:

ssh [email protected]

I did it like that

ssh myserver.combut

I successfully logged in as username. How is that possible? How does ssh server know under which user to log me in? If it's a key, than it's possible that I'll have the same key added to multiple users, what's going to happen in this case?

ssh

2 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    If same user you have in your system from which you want to login then no need to use username for login it will take default system user. for example : your one system(client) have user test and your ssh server also have user test then no need to mention username like :

    ssh [email protected]

    you can use like:

    ssh myserver.com
ssh serverip

    make sure when you doing ssh you have login as that user in your client system. yes, you can do for multiple users like your client system have user user1 , user2 , user3 etc. then you have to create that user in your ssh server also . then if you want to login then do like :

    su - user1 
ssh sshserverip

    you will login as user1. if you do

    su - user2
ssh sshserverip

    you will login as user2. If you want login as another user then you have to put username otherwise system will confuse which user have to login. 

    ssh username@serverip

    or 

    ssh serverip -l username

    or

    if you want to do key based authentication then you have to add public key of all users in authorized_keys . for more info visit Ubuntu Documentation

    • 4

  2. If you don't mention the username, ssh will use the username you are currently logged in as.

    So:

    username@client$ ssh [email protected]

    is analogous to:

    username@client$ ssh myserver.com

    All the other parameters like keys, passwords will be used in the usual manner.

    • 3