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Use GnuPG’s gpg command to encrypt a file with the recipient’s public key, sign it with your secret key, or do both at once. The recipient decrypts with the matching secret key and verifies your signature with your public key. On a VPS, the cryptographic commands are straightforward; protecting the keyring, passphrases, fingerprints and backups is the part that determines whether the workflow is trustworthy.
What GPG encryption and signing actually do
GnuPG implements OpenPGP key management, encryption, signing, decryption and signature verification. It uses asymmetric keys: each participant has a public key that can be shared and a secret key that must remain protected.
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| Operation | Key used by the sender | Key used by the recipient | What it provides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encryption | Recipient’s public key | Recipient’s matching secret key | Confidentiality: only the holder of the matching secret key can decrypt the ciphertext. |
| Signing | Sender’s secret key | Sender’s public key | Origin authentication and alteration detection, provided the signer’s public-key fingerprint was verified independently. |
| Signing plus encryption | Sender’s secret key and recipient’s public key | Recipient’s secret key and sender’s public key | A message that is both confidential and verifiably associated with the signer’s key. |
Encryption does not prove who created a message, and a signature does not hide its contents. For a confidential, authenticated message, combine --sign and --encrypt.
Prepare the Linux VPS
Install the distribution package
Install the GnuPG package through the VPS distribution’s normal package manager. On Debian or Ubuntu, a typical installation is:
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sudo apt update
audo apt install gnupgPackage names, package splits and GnuPG versions vary by distribution release. Do not assume that an option behaves identically across an old and a new image; check the version installed on the actual server.
Confirm the binary and read the local manual
Verify that the command is available and record the version:
gpg --versionUse man gpg on the VPS for the exact options, defaults and scripting behavior supplied by that installation. The installed manual is especially important before putting encryption into an unattended deployment or backup job.
Use a dedicated account and private home directory
Run signing and decryption under a dedicated Unix account rather than a general-purpose login. The account’s home directory contains the GnuPG keyring and agent sockets. Restrict the GnuPG directory so other local users cannot read it:
chmod 700 ~/.gnupgKeep the secret-key files and any exported backups readable only by the account or by a tightly controlled administrative process. File permissions are not a substitute for disk encryption or host hardening, but permissive permissions can expose keys immediately to another account on the VPS.
Create or import the keys
Generate a new OpenPGP key pair
For an account that does not already have a key, start the interactive generator:
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Import an existing key
If the account must use a key created elsewhere, import the supplied OpenPGP certificate:
gpg --import keyfile.ascAn armored file may contain a public key, a secret key, or both. Treat any file containing secret key material as confidential. Import the secret key only into the account that must sign or decrypt; import a public key into an account that only needs to encrypt or verify.
List public and secret keys
Check what the account actually has:
gpg --list-keys
gpg --list-secret-keysUse the full fingerprint shown for each key in deployment records and scripts. A short key ID is only a truncated identifier and can collide; it is not a safe substitute for a complete fingerprint. You can request fingerprint details while listing keys with the fingerprint option supported by your installed GnuPG version.
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Save the revocation certificate
GnuPG creates a revocation certificate for a newly generated key. Keep that certificate in a separate, encrypted backup. On Debian-family systems, generated certificates are normally stored below the keyring’s openpgp-revocs.d directory. A revocation certificate lets you mark a key as no longer trustworthy if the secret key is compromised or permanently lost. Anyone relying on the key must receive the revoked status through a channel they can authenticate.
Exchange and verify public keys
Share only the public key with a correspondent who needs to encrypt to you or verify your signatures. Before encrypting a sensitive file, obtain the recipient’s public-key certificate and verify its full fingerprint through an independent channel, such as a previously authenticated conversation or a separately trusted administrative record. Importing a certificate proves only that a file was imported; it does not prove that the key belongs to the person or service you intended.
After importing the certificate, list it and compare the displayed fingerprint character for character with the independently supplied value. Do the same for a sender’s key before trusting a signature. GnuPG can report that a signature is mathematically good while you still have not established the signer’s real-world identity.
Encrypt a file for a recipient
Binary output for file transport
Use binary OpenPGP output when the transport accepts arbitrary bytes, such as an artifact store or a file transfer service:
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gpg --output message.txt.gpg --recipient RECIPIENT_FINGERPRINT --encrypt message.txt--recipient selects the public key that will receive the encrypted session key, and --encrypt produces the ciphertext. The original message.txt remains unchanged. An explicit output name prevents accidental ambiguity about which file is safe to transmit.
ASCII armor for text-only transport
If the message must pass through a text-only field, mail body, ticket system or configuration channel, add ASCII armor:
gpg --armor --output message.txt.asc --recipient RECIPIENT_FINGERPRINT --encrypt message.txtThe armored file is text and normally ends in .asc. Armor is larger than binary output, but it avoids corruption by systems that cannot preserve arbitrary binary bytes. Armor does not make encryption stronger; it changes the representation.
Encrypt for more than one recipient
Repeat the recipient option for every intended decryptor. Each recipient then uses their own secret key to recover the same encrypted content:
gpg --output message.txt.gpg --recipient FIRST_RECIPIENT_FINGERPRINT --recipient SECOND_RECIPIENT_FINGERPRINT --encrypt message.txtInclude your own public key as an additional recipient if you need to decrypt the copy later; otherwise, a file encrypted only to another person cannot be opened with your key.
Create a signature
Detached signature
A detached signature leaves the original file readable and creates a separate signature file. This is useful when recipients should process the original data directly while checking authenticity separately:
gpg --local-user YOUR_SIGNING_FINGERPRINT --output message.txt.sig --detach-sign message.txtSend both message.txt and message.txt.sig. The signature covers the exact bytes of the original file, so even a line-ending conversion or an added newline can make verification fail.
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Sign and encrypt in one operation
For confidentiality and origin authentication together, sign with your secret key and encrypt to the recipient’s public key:
gpg --armor
--local-user YOUR_SIGNING_FINGERPRINT
--recipient RECIPIENT_FINGERPRINT
--output message.txt.asc
--sign --encrypt message.txtThe resulting artifact contains encrypted data and the embedded signature. The signing key is selected by --local-user; omitting it makes GnuPG use the account’s configured default key. Explicitly naming the full fingerprint is safer for a server that holds more than one identity.
Decrypt and verify a received message
Decrypt a combined message
A recipient with the matching secret key can decrypt either binary or armored input:
gpg --output message.txt --decrypt message.txt.ascGnuPG writes the plaintext to message.txt. If the encrypted object carries a signature, GnuPG also performs signature verification during decryption and reports the result. The account must have the recipient’s secret key; possessing only the recipient’s public key is not enough.
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Keep the signed file and its signature together, then run:
gpg --verify message.txt.sig message.txt--verify checks the signature without creating a second copy of the signed content. Read the complete result, including the signer fingerprint, key expiration and revocation information. Compare the fingerprint with the value obtained through the independent key-exchange channel. A “good” cryptographic signature confirms that the file matches the signing key; it does not by itself confirm that the key is controlled by the person named in the user ID.
Operate GPG safely on an unattended VPS
Protect passphrases and secret-key material
- Never put a key passphrase in a shell command, source file, process argument, ticket, or shell history.
- Use
gpg-agentand an appropriate pinentry method for interactive administration so the passphrase can be entered through a controlled prompt. - Keep secret keys under the dedicated account that performs signing or decryption; do not copy them to every application user.
- Store encrypted backups and revocation certificates through a controlled channel, not in the same directory as routinely transmitted ciphertext.
A VPS job that runs without an operator needs a deliberate secret-handling design. Decide where the agent obtains credentials, who can start the job, how failures are reported and how a compromised host will be isolated. Avoid attempting to parse normal human-readable output as an API.
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Use batch and status interfaces for automation
For scheduled jobs, use GnuPG’s documented batch and machine-readable status facilities rather than scraping interactive prompts or prose. A controlled decryption job can direct status records to a separate file descriptor, for example:
gpg --batch --status-fd=2 --output decrypted.txt --decrypt message.txt.gpgChoose output paths and overwrite behavior deliberately. If a job uses --yes, ensure that the destination cannot be replaced by an attacker and that overwriting is genuinely intended. Keep status output separate from plaintext and secrets, and make the job fail closed when the expected key, signature or fingerprint is missing.
Use full fingerprints in deployment configuration
Record complete fingerprints in scripts, secret-management records and change approvals. Before sending, check that the recipient key is not expired or revoked. Before signing, check that the local secret key is present and belongs to the intended identity. These checks prevent a successful command from silently using the wrong key.
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Back up what is necessary
Back up the secret key and its revocation certificate over an encrypted, access-controlled channel. A public-key backup is not enough to decrypt old messages or create future signatures. Keep at least one backup separate from the VPS so loss of the server does not become loss of the identity.
Test restoration before an incident
Restore a copy on an isolated machine or disposable account and confirm that the expected fingerprint appears, that a test signature verifies, and that a test ciphertext decrypts. Do not wait until the production VPS has failed; an untested backup may be incomplete, unreadable or protected by a forgotten passphrase.
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If the secret key may have been copied, or if it is permanently unavailable, publish the corresponding revocation certificate and distribute the revoked status to correspondents. Stop using the compromised key for new signatures and encryption as soon as practical. A revocation does not retroactively erase ciphertext, so recipients should also assess whether previously encrypted material needs to be reprotected.
Quick Recap
Choose the right GPG mode and file format
| Decision | Use this when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient-key encryption | Several people or systems must exchange files without sharing one password. | Each recipient needs a correctly verified public key, and each decryptor must protect its secret key. |
| Symmetric encryption | The parties already have a secure way to share one passphrase and no public-key identity is needed. | One shared secret must be delivered and rotated securely; anyone who knows it can decrypt. |
| Binary output | The transport preserves arbitrary bytes. | Compact and efficient, but unsuitable for text-only fields. |
| ASCII armor | The transport accepts only text. | Portable through text channels, but larger than binary output. |
| Detached signature | The original file must remain independently readable or verifiable. | Two files must stay paired and the exact original bytes must be preserved. |
| Embedded signature with encryption | One artifact must provide confidentiality and signer authentication. | The recipient must decrypt before examining the signature result. |
| Interactive use | An administrator is present to enter a passphrase and inspect prompts. | Convenient for one-off work, but unsuitable for unattended execution. |
| Batch and status interfaces | A scheduler, deployment system or service performs the operation. | Reliable for automation only when key access, status parsing and failure handling are designed explicitly. |
Troubleshoot common VPS failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| “No public key” or an encryption-key error | The recipient certificate is absent, expired, revoked or a different key was selected. | Run gpg --list-keys, compare the full fingerprint with the independently verified value, and import the correct public certificate. |
| “No secret key” while decrypting | The account has only the public key, or the ciphertext was encrypted to another recipient. | Run gpg --list-secret-keys under the same Unix account that runs the decrypt command and confirm that its fingerprint is an intended recipient. |
| “Bad signature” | The file changed, the wrong file was supplied, or the signature belongs to another key. | Verify the exact original bytes, use gpg --verify signature-file data-file, and compare the reported signer fingerprint. |
| GPG asks for a terminal or pinentry fails | An interactive pinentry method is unavailable in the service environment. | Configure gpg-agent and a suitable pinentry for administrators, or redesign the job around documented batch operation and a controlled credential mechanism. |
| Permission denied or unusable keyring | The service account cannot access its home directory or ~/.gnupg has unsafe ownership or permissions. |
Check the effective Unix account, ownership and restrictive directory permissions; do not make the secret-key directory world-readable. |
| A previously valid key is rejected | The key has expired or been revoked. | Inspect the key’s status, obtain the correspondent’s current key through a trusted channel, and update deployment records before sending. |
| Armored data cannot be parsed | The text was truncated, wrapped incorrectly or altered in transit. | Transfer the complete .asc file, preserve its begin/end armor lines and compare a trusted checksum of the original transport when available. |
A repeatable VPS workflow
- Install GnuPG from the VPS distribution and record the output of
gpg --version. - Run GnuPG under a dedicated account with a private, correctly permissioned
~/.gnupg. - Generate a key with
gpg --full-generate-keyor import the required public and secret material withgpg --import. - List public and secret keys, record full fingerprints and store the generated revocation certificate in a separate encrypted backup.
- Exchange public certificates and verify every recipient or signer fingerprint through an independent channel.
- Encrypt with
--recipient; add--armoronly when the transport requires text. - Sign with
--local-userand--detach-sign, or combine--signand--encryptwhen both properties are required. - On receipt, decrypt with the matching secret key and verify any signature; compare the reported fingerprint rather than relying only on a “good signature” message.
- For scheduled work, use batch and status interfaces, keep passphrases out of command lines and logs, and test failure handling.
- Review expiration and revocation status regularly, and test restoration of encrypted key backups on an isolated system.
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