Verify host key with pysftp

Question

I am writing a program using pysftp, and it wants to verify the SSH host Key against C:\\Users\\JohnCalvin\\.ssh\\known_hosts.

Using PuTTY, the terminal

Answer 1

I've implemented auto_add_key in my pysftp github fork.

auto_add_key will add the key to known_hosts if auto_add_key=True
Once a key is present for a host in known_hosts this key will be checked.

Please reffer Martin Prikryl -> answer about security concerns.

Though for an absolute security, you should not retrieve the host key remotely, as you cannot be sure, if you are not being attacked already.

import pysftp as sftp

def push_file_to_server():
    s = sftp.Connection(host='138.99.99.129', username='root', password='pass', auto_add_key=True)
    local_path = "testme.txt"
    remote_path = "/home/testme.txt"

    s.put(local_path, remote_path)
    s.close()

push_file_to_server()

Note: Why using context manager

import pysftp
with pysftp.Connection(host, username="whatever", password="whatever", auto_add_key=True) as sftp:
    #do your stuff here
#connection closed