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  • The authentication section of WinSCP is easy to understand: it requires the password, frequently called the passphrase of the private key and its pathname. But the main section of WinSCP asks for a user name and password. If this means the username and the user password, I am confused, because I want to use SSH without a user password, for added security. Can someone unconfuse me?
    – David Spector
    Commented Jul 9 at 22:42
  • @DavidSpector I just asked Claude and it said "For key-based authentication, you can ignore the password field in the main section and focus on the Advanced settings where you specify your private key.". That makes sense. A major advantage of using keys is for quick passwordless access As for username, you will always need a username. I tend to use private key without a passphrase So Claude sounds right to me when it says "The passphrase for your private key (if you set one when creating the key)".
    – barlop
    Commented Jul 15 at 13:50