Check an SSH key fingerprint before you trust it

'Are you sure you want to continue connecting?' is only a question if you can verify the answer. Paste the public key, get the fingerprint to compare.

Tools used in this guide

The job

First SSH into a new server shows a fingerprint; so does git's first push. Verifying it means comparing what you see against what the admin published — this computes SHA-256, MD5 and the bubblebabble form from the public key itself.

Paste the public key

The id_ed25519.pub / id_rsa.pub line (type, base64 blob, optional comment) gives you SHA256:... — the same format ssh shows — plus the legacy MD5 hex pairs and a randomart visualization.

Compare against a channel you trust: the provider's dashboard, the admin's signed message — never the same terminal that's asking.
SHA-256 is the current standard; MD5 appears in old docs. Both are shown so you can match whichever was published.

Randomart for humans

The randomart board turns the fingerprint into a picture — surprisingly effective for 'did the key change?' over time. Same key, same picture; different key, almost certainly a visibly different board. Input limit 1,000,000 characters.