PuTTY Fatal Error: Host key did not appear in manually configured list

Question

I try to establish an SSH connection with the Linux server of my web hosting provider.

I receive the following error when using PuTTY Release 0.74 Build platform: 64-bit x86 Windows:

"PuTTY Fatal Error Host key did not appear in manually configured list"

This is what I did:

1. Generate the pair public_key - private_key
2. Give the public_key to the server provider
3. Insert server's IP address and port in "Session"
4. Insert the public_key in "Connection -> SSH -> Host keys -> Manually configure host keys for this connection"
5. Insert the path to my locally saved private_key in "Connection -> SSH -> Auth"
6. Save the whole configuration

Finally, if I load the configuration and try to open the connection, I receive the error message:

"PuTTY Fatal Error Host key did not appear in manually configured list"

May you please give me some suggestion about where is the mistake?

Thank you very much.

Answer 1

The step 4 is wrong:

Insert the public_key in "Connection -> SSH -> Host keys -> Manually configure host keys for this connection"

The "Host keys" box is for public key of the server (host key). While you have added there your public key.

In general, you do not need to add anything there. Just verify the host key on the prompt, that you will get on the first connection. What you have probably done already anyway. If not, see my article Where do I get SSH host key fingerprint to authorize the server? You can also check another article Understanding SSH Key Pairs.