Most Linux distributions provide a command-line version of PuTTYgen through their package managers. Use the command for your specific system:
To view the public key portion to add to a server's authorized_keys file: puttygen -L mykey.ppk Use code with caution.
This converts the PuTTY-specific format into a standard private key that the Linux terminal recognizes. putty key generator linux download
sudo apt update && sudo apt install putty-tools
Once installed, PuTTYgen operates via the terminal. It is primarily used to generate .ppk files for PuTTY or to convert them into standard OpenSSH formats. To create a standard 2048-bit RSA key pair: puttygen -t rsa -b 2048 -C "user@example.com" -o mykey.ppk Use code with caution. -t : Specifies the key type (rsa, dsa, ed25519). -b : Defines the number of bits (2048 or 4096 recommended). -o : Sets the output filename. 2. Convert PPK to OpenSSH Format Most Linux distributions provide a command-line version of
sudo dnf install putty or sudo yum install putty Arch Linux / Manjaro: sudo pacman -S putty
This prints the OpenSSH-compatible public key string directly to your terminal. sudo apt update && sudo apt install putty-tools
If you have a .ppk file from Windows and want to use it with the native Linux ssh command: puttygen mykey.ppk -O private-openssh -o id_rsa Use code with caution.