# Simple private key setup?

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/simple-private-key-setup/14970>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Tags:** ubuntu\
**Created:** [April 8, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/simple-private-key-setup/14970 "2014-04-08T17:34:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Martin\_Streicher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@Martin\_Streicher](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Martin_Streicher)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/simple-private-key-setup/14970/1 "2014-04-08T17:34:11Z")

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I have an EC2 instance established. My public key is in authorized\_keys and I can ssh in from the command-line.

I cannot however get Ansible to do anything.

`  
[defaults]  
hostfile = inventory  
host\_key\_checking = False  
private\_key\_file = /Users/strike/.ssh/id\_rsa  
remote\_user = ubuntu

`

Getting this working should be dead simple, and yet it’s not.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan1)\
**Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 2:04pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/simple-private-key-setup/14970/2 "2014-04-09T14:04:43Z")

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When you say you can’t get it to do anything, please show something you are trying and the error you are getting.

Right now, all I have is a config file, so I don’t have any way to know what you _ARE_ trying.

Thanks!