SSH Config for Raspberry Pi

SSH Config for Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pis are commonly accessed via SSH for headless management, IoT development, and home server administration. A proper SSH config simplifies repeated connections.

Local Network Config

Host pi
  HostName raspberrypi.local
  User pi
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_pi
  IdentitiesOnly yes
  ServerAliveInterval 30
  ServerAliveCountMax 3

Using mDNS (Avahi)

Raspberry Pi OS includes Avahi, which broadcasts the hostname via mDNS. You can reach it as raspberrypi.local (default) without knowing the IP address. If you changed the hostname:

Host my-pi
  HostName mypi.local

Multiple Pis

If you manage several Raspberry Pis:

Host pi-web
  HostName 192.168.1.101
  User pi

Host pi-sensor
  HostName 192.168.1.102
  User pi

Host pi-*
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_pi
  IdentitiesOnly yes
  ServerAliveInterval 30

The Host pi-* wildcard block applies shared settings to all Pi entries.

Initial Setup

Before SSH config works, you need to enable SSH on the Pi:

1. Desktop: Preferences > Raspberry Pi Configuration > Interfaces > SSH
2. Headless: Place an empty file named ssh on the boot partition
3. Raspberry Pi Imager: Enable SSH in the Advanced Options

Copying Your Key

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_pi pi@raspberrypi.local

Port Forwarding for Remote Access

To access your Pi from outside your network, forward a port on your router and create a config entry:

Host pi-remote
  HostName your-public-ip.example.com
  User pi
  Port 2222
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_pi