# Persistent SSH and Terminal configs

Your SSH keys and configuration files (like `.ssh` or `.gitconfig`) are
typically saved in the home directory. However, since the home directory is
**ephemeral**, any changes you make to these files disappear when your container
restarts.

The most common use case for this is **Git integration**, and the
[remote access via SSH](./remote_ssh_access.md). By persisting your SSH keys,
you can upload a single public key to GitHub (or similar hosting) and maintain
access across container restarts or when launching new containers. Since your
cloned projects are already stored in your **personal storage folders**,
persisting your identity allows you to push and pull changes seamlessly without
re-authenticating every session.

To maintain persistent changes, we rely on the
[**persistence pattern**](./persistence.md): store the actual data in your
persistent volume and link it to the system.

## The Problem: Ephemeral `.ssh`

The system expects your SSH keys to be in `~/.ssh`. If you create them there,
they are lost on restart. This is important if you are working for example with
git repositories, and you want to use a consistent ssh key for your work in
SciServer.

## The Solution: The Symlink Pattern

The most efficient way to handle this is to store your `.ssh` directory in
persistent storage and create a **symbolic link** (symlink) that points the
system to that location.

### 1. Create your keys normally

If you don't have SSH keys yet, generate them in your home directory first. This
ensures that the `~/.ssh` folder is created with the correct system permissions
automatically.

```bash
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "$SCISERVER_USER_NAME@sciserver_container"
```

You can already use this key `~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub` your git hosting provider
(e.g. Github, [MPCDF Gitlab](https://gitlab.mpcdf.mpg.de),
[Codeberg.org](https://codeberg.org), etc)

### 2. Move keys to Persistent Storage

Now that the folder exists with the correct permissions (or if you already had
existing keys), move it to your persistent storage:

```bash
mv ~/.ssh ~/workspace/Storage/$SCISERVER_USER_NAME/persistent/.ssh
```

### 2. Manually Link Them (Temporary Fix)

You can link them manually for your current session:

```bash
ln -s ~/workspace/Storage/$SCISERVER_USER_NAME/persistent/.ssh ~/.ssh
```

### 3. Automate the Link (Permanent Fix)

To avoid doing this every time you launch a container, add the linking logic to
your **Automation Engine** ( See [Shell Automation](./shell_automation.md) ).

Add this to your
`$HOME/workspace/Storage/$SCISERVER_USER_NAME/persistent/.bashrc` file:

```bash
# Automatically restore SSH symlink if persistent storage exists
if [ -d "$HOME/workspace/Storage/$SCISERVER_USER_NAME/persistent/.ssh" ]; then
    ln -s "$HOME/workspace/Storage/$SCISERVER_USER_NAME/persistent/.ssh" "$HOME/.ssh" 2>/dev/null
fi
```

Now, every time you start a new container, your SSH keys will be automatically
"restored" to the expected location.

---

## Other Identity Files

You can use this same pattern for other configuration files:

- **Git Config:** Move `.gitconfig` to
  `~/workspace/Storage/$SCISERVER_USER/persistent/` and link it in your
  `.bashrc`.