An SSH agent is a program that runs in the background on a user’s computer and manages the user’s SSH keys. It securely stores private keys and provides a way to use them without entering the passphrase for every connection or command. When the user logs in to a remote server, the SSH agent can supply the necessary key to authenticate the user, without requiring the user to enter their passphrase every time. This improves security by allowing users to use strong, unique passphrases for their keys that they don’t have to memorize or type repeatedly.
