Add Ssh Key Bitbucket Mac

7 min read Oct 10, 2024

Adding SSH Keys to Bitbucket on Your Mac: A Comprehensive Guide

Bitbucket is a popular platform for hosting Git repositories, offering features like code review, issue tracking, and continuous integration. To work seamlessly with your Bitbucket repositories, it's highly recommended to configure SSH keys. SSH (Secure Shell) provides a secure connection between your machine and Bitbucket, eliminating the need for constant password prompts.

This guide will walk you through the process of adding SSH keys to Bitbucket on your Mac, ensuring a secure and smooth workflow.

Generating an SSH Key

Before adding your key to Bitbucket, you need to generate one if you haven't already. Here's how:

Open Terminal: On your Mac, open the Terminal application.
Generate SSH Key: Execute the following command, replacing [email protected] with your actual email address.
```
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[email protected]"
```
- -t ed25519: Specifies the algorithm for your key.
- -C "[email protected]": Sets a comment associated with your key.
Provide File Name: You'll be prompted to choose a location to save the key. Press Enter to accept the default location (usually ~/.ssh/id_ed25519).
Create Passphrase (Optional): You'll be asked to enter a passphrase to secure your key. If you want to protect your key with a password, enter a strong passphrase twice. If you'd prefer to skip the passphrase, just press Enter twice.

Locating Your Public Key

After generating your SSH key, you need to copy the public key to your Bitbucket account. This key allows Bitbucket to authenticate you without requiring a password. Here's how to find your public key:

Open your SSH directory: In Terminal, type:
```
cd ~/.ssh
```
Locate the public key: Your public key is usually named id_ed25519.pub.

Adding the SSH Key to Bitbucket

Now, let's add your public key to your Bitbucket account:

Login to Bitbucket: Go to and log into your account.
Access Account Settings: Click on your profile picture in the top right corner and select "Account settings."
Navigate to SSH Keys: From the left sidebar, choose "SSH keys."
Add Key: Click "Add key."
Paste Public Key: Paste the content of your id_ed25519.pub file into the "Key" field.
Add Label (Optional): You can add a label to your key for identification purposes.
Save Changes: Click "Add key" to save the new SSH key to your Bitbucket account.

Testing the SSH Connection

To verify your SSH connection is working properly, try accessing your Bitbucket repository via SSH:

Open Terminal: Launch Terminal.
Connect to Repository: Use the following command, replacing username and repository_name with your actual values:
```
ssh [email protected]:username/repository_name.git
```
Authenticate: If your SSH key is set up correctly, you should be able to connect to the repository without being prompted for a password. You'll see a message similar to this:
```
Welcome to GitLab, username!
```

Troubleshooting

If you encounter errors while setting up your SSH key or connecting to Bitbucket, here are some common solutions:

Check File Permissions: Make sure your id_ed25519 and id_ed25519.pub files in ~/.ssh have the correct permissions:
```
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
```
Clear SSH Agent: If you're using an SSH agent, try clearing its cache. This can sometimes resolve connection issues. You can clear the SSH agent cache using the following command:
```
ssh-add -D
```
Double-Check Key Content: Ensure that the public key you pasted into Bitbucket is accurate and doesn't contain any extra spaces or characters.
Re-Add Key: If you're still facing problems, you can try deleting the key from Bitbucket and adding it again.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you've successfully added your SSH key to Bitbucket and established a secure connection to your repositories. This allows you to work efficiently with your Bitbucket projects without the hassle of repeated password prompts. Enjoy the enhanced security and streamlined development process!