Bitbucket API keys
Bitbucket API credentials belong in configuration, not in a commit. This page covers where to create one, what it looks like, and how APIKeyConnect stores it without ever being able to read it.
The facts
- Category
- Development Tools
- API host
api.bitbucket.org- Key format
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx- Env variable
BITBUCKET- Sensitivity
- High
- Create a key
- https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens — Click "Create API token with scopes" and pick Bitbucket. App passwords are being retired — use an API token.
- Documentation
- https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/bitbucket/rest/intro/
A leaked key here bills you and can read or write account data. Treat it like a password: server-side only, rotated on staff changes.
Kinds of Bitbucket key
App Password
OAuth Key
OAuth Secret
How APIKeyConnect stores it
The key is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM, under a key derived from your master password with PBKDF2-SHA-256 at 600,000 iterations. The password never leaves your device, and the server holds ciphertext it has no way to open.
What the server can see — and what this design does not protect against — is written out in full on the security page. That section exists because a page with no limits section is marketing.
Questions
Where do I get a Bitbucket API key?
Bitbucket issues keys from https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens. Click "Create API token with scopes" and pick Bitbucket. App passwords are being retired — use an API token. Once you have it, store it in APIKeyConnect rather than in a .env file you might commit — the key is encrypted on your device with a master password we never receive.
What does a Bitbucket API key look like?
Bitbucket keys follow the pattern xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Knowing the shape is useful for spotting one that has been pasted into a commit, a log line, or a support ticket — the places keys leak from most often.
What environment variable should I use for Bitbucket?
Most projects use BITBUCKET. APIKeyConnect recognises these names, so importing an existing .env maps the value onto Bitbucket automatically instead of leaving it as an unlabelled string, and generating a .env writes it back under the same name.
How dangerous is a leaked Bitbucket key?
High sensitivity. A leaked key here bills you and can read or write account data. Treat it like a password: server-side only, rotated on staff changes.
Does Bitbucket have more than one kind of key?
Yes — App Password, OAuth Key, OAuth Secret. They differ in scope, so keeping them as separate entries rather than one "the Bitbucket key" is what lets you rotate the risky one without touching the others.
Can APIKeyConnect see my Bitbucket key?
No. The key is encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM under a key derived from your master password (PBKDF2-SHA-256, 600,000 iterations). The password never leaves your device and the server stores ciphertext it cannot open. What the server can see is documented in full on the security page, including what this design does not protect against.