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React Native

SSH Tunnel Authenticate with a SecureString Password and Private Key

See more SSH Tunnel Examples

Demonstrates the Chilkat SshTunnel.AuthenticateSecPwPk method, which authenticates using SecureString login and password objects together with a private key. The third argument is the SshKey private key.

Note: The private-key path is relative to the application's current working directory. Absolute paths may also be used. Supply the path to your own key file.

Background: This is the SecureString form of two-factor tunnel authentication: the password is held encrypted in memory and combined with a private key for servers that require both. It is the most protective option when a deployment mandates two-factor SSH and you also want to minimize plaintext credential exposure in a long-running process.

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React Native
import { SecureString, SshKey, SshTunnel } from '@chilkat/react-native'

async function chilkatExample() {
  // Demonstrates the SshTunnel.AuthenticateSecPwPk method, which authenticates using SecureString
  // login and password objects together with a private key.  The 1st argument is the username, the
  // 2nd is the password, and the 3rd is an SshKey private key.

  const tunnel = new SshTunnel();

  // The tunnel forwards accepted local connections to this destination through the SSH server.
  tunnel.destHostname = 'db.internal.example.com';
  tunnel.destPort = 5432;

  // Connect to the SSH server.  This performs the TCP/proxy connection and SSH handshake, but
  // does not authenticate yet.
  const sshPort = 22;
  try {
    await tunnel.connectAsync('ssh.example.com', sshPort);
  } catch {
    console.log(tunnel.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  // Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
  // from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
  const password = 'mySshPassword';

  // Load the SSH private key.  LoadText reads the file's text, which is then imported.
  const privKey = new SshKey();
  let keyText: string;
  try {
    keyText = privKey.loadText('qa_data/id_rsa');
  } catch {
    console.log(privKey.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  try {
    privKey.fromOpenSshPrivateKey(keyText);
  } catch {
    console.log(privKey.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  // Place the login and password into SecureString objects.
  const secureLogin = new SecureString();
  secureLogin.append('mySshLogin');
  const securePassword = new SecureString();
  securePassword.append(password);

  try {
    await tunnel.authenticateSecPwPkAsync(secureLogin, securePassword, privKey);
  } catch {
    console.log(tunnel.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }

  console.log('Authenticated.');

  // After authenticating, call BeginAccepting to start listening for local connections to forward.

  const waitForThreadExit = true;
  try {
    tunnel.closeTunnel(waitForThreadExit);
  } catch {
    console.log(tunnel.lastErrorText);
    return;
  }
}