# cPanel API 2 Functions - SSH::importkey

Warning:
The cPanel API 2 system is deprecated. We **strongly** recommend that you use [UAPI](/cpanel/introduction) instead of cPanel API 2.

## Description

This function imports an SSH key.

Warnings:
* This function **will** overwrite any existing keys that use the same name as the imported key.
* We **strongly** recommend that you use [UAPI](/cpanel/introduction/) instead of cPanel API 2. However, no equivalent UAPI function exists.


## Examples

### WHM API (JSON)


```undefined syntaxhighlighter-pre
 https://hostname.example.com:2087/cpsess###########/json-api/cpanel?cpanel_jsonapi_user=user&cpanel_jsonapi_apiversion=2&cpanel_jsonapi_module=SSH&cpanel_jsonapi_func=importkey&key=-----BEGIN%20RSA%20PRIVATE%20KEY-----%5CnProc-Type%3A%204%2CENCRYPTED%5CnDEK-Info%3A%20DES-EDE3-CBC%2C8B36FD4196F9015D%5Cn%5CnRttykPEmZu4jTfPzIZkSsfkZaTTXOt3Ho%2BJCqG6HplaCm%2FKibiEBkVUXkC4QLrUL%5CnB%2B%2FifvjN%2BiXYwiYvXLSB5EnVyEuPIjFnnugSIN1Cp84mUlRSyO4DfhPTdWLwr5tP%5CnIYqzpB0cxL2zqX%2BGB8BCx%2FS2NDQ%2FnQWMepKZrod3kasza%2FH580F5lO3fJlU%2B3WQb%5CnlYqgOMKeDcatCDgrlc%2FS%2Fqz6xjk%2BHrivnZL%2BEQTS0av8ZtWEjsjCwvn9N0Gb1TOW%5Cni8uv%2FhPpu6SVZkLUb7RUsIEXW44%2B%2FSa6PsSjTq5SLu8C%2FDV8K6x63R%2FRszlES%2BXi%5CnDbl%2BIGPY2JGPjBnje3X4D8QwzEFzFMx24VuwglT21IbYmhyrc5h0oye1mVLGwbV9%5Cn%2FxolX9iQEjRMzB67zHTU%2F6WfVPnYFSiSoBSCwcgtOl4R4ZLMby5sdXycKME4wCyJ%5Cn3UFkrI6NH4H0FGte%2BMFjZ0SwUy18IO%2Fpxs%2FhScg0ZUk4LbpiA9feB%2FImkxrdW19t%5Cn9b26RWHI%2FK4tT4NUDSB%2BT08UM0Hb%2BQ2%2BMbYLDrANTvb4NxqazlJsa%2BrwYD3X8%2BHj%5CneTxwSZSrVHJkog4fUfbZavYHiXgkSws1TXP9JfqOwn3D4eltscOS%2B%2BTvATTgo3Qr%5CnXpAmCQ8mfeZJzVDPIwP7XO3EBg3uDqfVe9gPh%2FQlmTwYOBYHMk3dWNbxlcuovXvC%5CnCFwjJHD8FGhBsC%2BEJhscRYW9YfVyuIcb3arZn%2BNk6a8p%2B%2BnLu8yojh5P6iGJviMq%5Cn2Pkk2tgu6Cshy66tFJy0joDo5jsXh5d4WEB1aKojrLI%3D%5Cn-----END%20RSA%20PRIVATE%20KEY-----&name=user&pass=12345luggage
```

Note:
For more information, read our [Calls from the WHM API](/whm/use-whm-api-to-call-cpanel-api-and-uapi) documentation.

### LiveAPI PHP Class


```undefined syntaxhighlighter-pre
$cpanel = new CPANEL(); // Connect to cPanel - only do this once.

// Import an SSH key
$import_key = $cpanel->api2(
    'SSH', 'importkey',
  array(
        'key' => '-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\nProc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED\nDEK-Info: DES-EDE3-CBC,8B36FD4196F9015D\n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\n2Pkk2tgu6Cshy66tFJy0joDo5jsXh5d4WEB1aKojrLI=\n-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----',
        'name' => 'user',
        'pass' => '12345luggage'
   )
);
```

Note:
For more information, read our [Guide to the LiveAPI System](/guides/guide-to-the-liveapi-system/#guide-to-the-liveapi-system).

### LiveAPI Perl Module


```undefined syntaxhighlighter-pre
my $cpliveapi = Cpanel::LiveAPI->new(); # Connect to cPanel - only do this once.

# Import an SSH key
my $import_key = $cpliveapi->api2(
    'SSH', 'importkey'
   {
        'key' => '-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\nProc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED\nDEK-Info: DES-EDE3-CBC,8B36FD4196F9015D\n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\n2Pkk2tgu6Cshy66tFJy0joDo5jsXh5d4WEB1aKojrLI=\n-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----',
        'name' => 'user',
        'pass' => '12345luggage'
    }
);
```

Note:
For more information, read our [Guide to the LiveAPI System](/guides/guide-to-the-liveapi-system).

### cPanel Tag System (deprecated)

Warnings:
- cPanel tags are **deprecated**. We **strongly** recommend that you **only** use the [LiveAPI](/guides/guide-to-the-liveapi-system) system to call the cPanel APIs. Examples are **only** present in order to help developers move from the old cPanel tag system to our [LiveAPI](/guides/guide-to-the-liveapi-system).
- cPanel API 2 calls that use cPanel tags vary in code syntax and in their output.
- For more information, read our [Deprecated cPanel Tag Usage](/cpanel-api-2/cpanel-api-2-deprecate-cpanel-tag-usage) documentation.


### Command Line


```undefined syntaxhighlighter-pre
cpapi2 --user=username SSH importkey key=-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\nProc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED\\nDEK-Info: DES-EDE3-CBC,8B36FD4196F9015D\\n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\n2Pkk2tgu6Cshy66tFJy0joDo5jsXh5d4WEB1aKojrLI=\n-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- name=user pass=12345luggage
```

div
Notes:

- You **must** URI-encode values.
- `username` represents your account-level username.
- You **must** include the `--user=username` option.
- For more information and additional output options, read our [Guide to cPanel API 2](/cpanel-api-2/) documentation or run the `cpapi2 --help` command.
- If you run CloudLinux™, you **must** use the full path of the
`cpapi2` command:

```undefined syntaxhighlighter-pre
/usr/local/cpanel/bin/cpapi2
```




### Output (JSON)


```undefined syntaxhighlighter-pre
{
    "cpanelresult": {
        "apiversion": 2,
        "func": "importkey",
        "data": [{
            "name": "bob"
        }],
        "event": {
            "result": 1
        },
        "module": "SSH"
    }
}
```

Note:
Use cPanel's *[API Shell](https://docs.cpanel.net/cpanel/advanced/api-shell-for-cpanel)* interface (*cPanel >> Home >> Advanced >> API Shell*) to directly test cPanel API calls.

## Parameters

table
colgroup
col
col
col
col
col
thead
tr
th
strong
Parameter
th
strong
Type
th
strong
Description
th
strong
Possible values
th
strong
Example
tbody
tr
td
code
key
td
em
string
td
p
strong
Required
p
The contents of the key file.
strong
br
td
A valid SSH key file.
td
code
-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----\nProc-Type: 4,ENCRYPTED\nDEK-Info: DES-EDE3-CBC,8B36FD4196F9015D\n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\n2Pkk2tgu6Cshy66tFJy0joDo5jsXh5d4WEB1aKojrLI=\n-----END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----
tr
td
code
name
td
em
string
td
p
The SSH key's filename.
p
If you do not use either the 
code
name
 or 
code
pass
 parameters, the function returns 
strong
all
 of the account's keys.
td
p
A valid string.
p
You 
strong
cannot
 use the following values:
ul
li
code
config
li
code
known_hosts
li
code
authorized_keys
li
code
environment
li
code
rc
li
code
identity
p
This function 
strong
will
 overwrite any existing keys that use the same name as the imported key.
td
code
user
tr
td
code
pass
td
em
string
td
p
The SSH key's password.
p
If you do not use either the 
code
name
 or 
code
pass
 parameters, the function returns 
strong
all
 of the account's keys.
td
A secure password.
td
code
12345luggage
## Returns

table
thead
tr
th
strong
Return
th
strong
Type
th
strong
Description
th
strong
Possible values
th
strong
Example
tbody
tr
td
code
name
td
em
string
td
The SSH key's name.
td
A valid filename.
td
code
user
tr
td
code
reason
td
em
string
td
p
A reason for failure.
p
This function only returns a 
code
reason
 value if it failed.
td
p
A string that describes the error.
td
code
This is an error message.
tr
td
code
result
td
em
Boolean
td
p
Whether the function succeeded.
td
ul
li
code
1
 — The function succeeded.
li
code
0
 — The function failed.
td
code
1