Public key authentication is an alternative and more secure means of identifying yourself to a login server, instead of typing a password. It is more secure and more flexible, but more involved in its set-up. It can also be used to provide a password-less login experience when using SSH and it can authenticate the system your logging into, thereby assuring your not being spoofed.

This is a step-by-step guide of how to set up your Raspberry Pi as a "headless" computer, that is, access it via network connections without a keyboard or display. This is done by configuring the Raspberry Pi without needing any kind of monitor or keyboard attached. I go a little further by showing how to upgrade the firmware / OS / development tools, bootup without X Windows, setup password-less login, and establish some basic security.