Working with multiple AWS organizations? Using separate SSH keys for each AWS CodeCommit access is the cleanest and safest way to go. Here’s how to do it properly and integrate it seamlessly into Visual Studio Code.

Step 1: Generate SSH Keys

Generate a separate SSH key for each organization:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/organisation

Replace "organisation" with the short name of your AWS org. You’ll now have:

  • ~/.ssh/organisation

  • ~/.ssh/organisation.pub

Step 2: Upload Public Key to AWS IAM

  1. Go to the AWS Console

  2. Navigate to IAM > Users > [Your User] > Security Credentials

  3. Under SSH keys for AWS CodeCommit, click Upload SSH Public Key

  4. Upload the contents of your .pub file

  5. Save the SSH Key ID shown after upload

You’ll need this ID for your SSH config.

Step 3: Edit Your SSH Config File

Edit your SSH config to point each Host alias to a different identity file:

nano ~/.ssh/config

Example config for one org:

Host codecommit-myorg
    HostName git-codecommit.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com
    User APKAEXAMPLESSHKEYID
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/myorg
    IdentitiesOnly yes

Repeat this block for each organization, changing the Host, IdentityFile, and User.

Step 4: Clone Repositories Using Custom SSH Alias

To clone a repo from this org:

git clone ssh://codecommit-myorg/v1/repos/your-repo-name

Replace codecommit-myorg with the alias you set in your SSH config.

Step 5: Open the Repo in VS Code

Open your freshly cloned repo like a pro:

code your-repo-name

Step 6: Ensure VS Code Uses Custom SSH Config (Optional)

Sometimes, VS Code’s terminal might use a default SSH setup. To be safe, export this:

export GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -F ~/.ssh/config"

You can even add that line to your shell profile (e.g., .bashrc or .zshrc) to persist it.

Why This Setup Works

  • Keeps credentials separate per org

  • Avoids the mess of switching IAM users or regions

  • Works smoothly with both CLI and VS Code

  • Reproducible and secure

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