Install Bitbucket on Ubuntu Server

This article is for those looking for a detailed and straightforward guide on installing Bitbucket on Ubuntu Server.

Bitbucket is a Git-based source code repository hosting service owned by Atlassian. Bitbucket offers both commercial plans and free accounts with an unlimited number of private repositories.

IMPORTANT

OpenSSH must be installed on the server, and port 22 must be open in order to be able to connect to the server using the SSH protocol.

To install OpenSSH on a server, you can use the command:

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sudo apt install openssh-server

NOTE

To connect to the server from a Windows system, you can use tools like PuTTY or MobaXterm.

NOTE

This guide walks you through connecting to a server with the iTerm2 terminal emulator on macOS.

CAUTION

You will need to open the following TCP ports for access to the services:

• TCP port 80 - to get a free cryptographic certificate through Let’s Encrypt CA.
• TCP port 443 - to access the Bitbucket web interface.
• TCP port 7990 - to access the Bitbucket web interface.

We connect to the server on which you plan to install Bitbucket.

Update the local package index to the latest changes in the repositories using the command:

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sudo apt update

This tutorial walks you through obtaining a free cryptographic certificate through the Let’s Encrypt CA. To obtain and subsequently renew a free SSL certificate, we will use the Certbot software client, which is designed to make it as easy as possible to obtain and renew a certificate through the Let’s Encrypt certification authority.

Now we will install the packages required for Bitbucket to work using the command:

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sudo apt install -y postgresql apache2 apt-transport-https certbot python3-certbot-apache fontconfig

NOTE

In this tutorial, PostgreSQL will be used as a database management system, and Apache will be used as a webserver.

Let’s configure Apache for further work with Bitbucket.

We enable the Apache webserver module called “proxy_http” using the command:

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sudo a2enmod proxy_http

NOTE

The “proxy_http” module acts like a proxy server for the HTTP and HTTPS protocols.

We enable the Apache webserver module called “rewrite” using the command:

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sudo a2enmod rewrite

NOTE

The “rewrite” module is one of the most commonly used modules in the Apache webserver and provides a flexible and powerful way to manipulate URLs.

Now you need to create two virtual host files (called a block in Nginx), with which Bitbucket will work in the future.

Two virtual host files are required to provide access to Bitbucket over HTTPS, and to enable Bitbucket to be used at https://bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net, without specifying port 7990 in the browser address bar.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the subdomain bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net will be used to access Bitbucket from the Internet. You will need to specify your domain or subdomain under which your Bitbucket will be accessible from the Internet.

Let’s create the first virtual host file using a text editor using the command:

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sudo vim /etc/apache2/sites-available/bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net.conf

Hit the “i” button to go into edit mode, then insert the following configuration for the webserver to work.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the subdomain bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net will be used to access Bitbucket from the Internet. You will need to specify your domain or subdomain under which your Bitbucket will be accessible from the Internet.

Now press the “Esc” button to exit edit mode, then type "" and press the “Enter” button to save your changes and exit the editor.

Let’s create a second virtual host file using a text editor using the command:

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sudo vim /etc/apache2/sites-available/bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net-ssl.conf

Hit the “i” button to go into edit mode, then insert the following configuration for the webserver to work.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the subdomain bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net will be used to access Bitbucket from the Internet. You will need to specify your domain or subdomain under which your Bitbucket will be accessible from the Internet.

Now press the “Esc” button to exit edit mode, then type "" and press the “Enter” button to save your changes and exit the editor.

We activate the first virtual host using the command:

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sudo a2ensite bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net.conf

We activate the second virtual host using the command:

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sudo a2ensite bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net-ssl.conf

Deactivate the default virtual host using the command:

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sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

Verify that there are no errors in the syntax of the new Apache config file using the command:

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sudo apache2ctl configtest

Restart Apache to apply the changes made using the command:

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sudo systemctl restart apache2

Let’s check that Apache has started successfully using the command:

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sudo systemctl status apache2

Now, to improve the security of your webserver, you need to obtain a cryptographic certificate for the domain or subdomain through which the Bitbucket control panel will be accessible from the Internet.

NOTE

To obtain and subsequently renew a free SSL certificate, we will use the Let’s Encrypt certification authority, as well as the Certbot software client, which is designed to make it as easy as possible to obtain and renew a certificate through the Let’s Encrypt certification authority.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the subdomain bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net will be used to access Bitbucket from the Internet. You will need to specify your domain or subdomain under which your Bitbucket will be accessible from the Internet.

Request a cryptographic certificate using the command:

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sudo certbot --apache -d bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net

Next, we indicate the email address to which Let’s Encrypt will send notifications about the expiration of the cryptographic certificate and press the “Enter” button.

The next step is to read and accept the terms of use of the services provided.

Press the button “a”, then “Enter”, if you agree with the terms of use of the services provided.

The next step is to choose whether you would like to share the above email address with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in order to receive newsletters.

Press the “n” button, then “Enter”.

At the next stage, you need to choose: do you want the parameters to be automatically added to the Apache configuration file for automatically redirecting HTTP traffic to HTTPS.

Press the button “2”, then “Enter”.

NOTE

Cryptographic certificates obtained through Let’s Encrypt CA are valid for ninety days. Certbot automatically adds a script to renew the certificate to the task scheduler and the script runs twice a day, automatically renewing any cryptographic certificate that expires within thirty days.

You can check the functionality of the cryptographic certificate renewal process using the command:

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sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Now you need to create a database that Bitbucket will use in the future, as well as a user with the necessary rights in this database.

Switch to the “postgres” user who has administrator rights in PostgreSQL using the command:

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sudo su - postgres

Next, switch to the PostgreSQL command line using the command:

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psql

We create a new user using the command:

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CREATE USER bitbucketdbuser WITH PASSWORD 'mU%g673b=6xa?8E6R9M3T';

NOTE

In this tutorial, “bitbucketdbuser” will be used as the username, with the password “mU%g673b=6xa?8E6R9M3T”.

We create a new database and grant the rights to it to the previously created user using the command:

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CREATE DATABASE bitbucketdb WITH OWNER "bitbucketdbuser" ENCODING='UTF8' CONNECTION LIMIT=-1;

NOTE

This tutorial will use “bitbucketdb” as the name for the database.

Exit the “PostgreSQL” command line using the command:

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\q

Log out as user “postgres” using the command:

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exit

Now you need to download the Bitbucket installer using the command:

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wget https://www.atlassian.com/software/stash/downloads/binary/atlassian-bitbucket-7.12.0-x64.bin

NOTE

The current version of Bitbucket can be found on the official Atlassian website.

This tutorial covers installing Bitbucket 7.12.0.

Let’s execute the file “atlassian-bitbucket-7.12.0-x64.bin” using the command:

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sudo chmod +x atlassian-bitbucket-7.12.0-x64.bin

Let’s start the Bitbucket installation using the command:

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sudo ./atlassian-bitbucket-7.12.0-x64.bin

NOTE

Your command will differ from the one specified in this article, as you will be installing the latest version of Bitbucket at the time of reading.

In the first step, you can choose whether you want to install a new Bitbucket server or upgrade an existing one.

This tutorial walks through the installation of a new Bitbucket server.

Press the “Enter” button.

The next step is to select the Bitbucket edition.

Select the “Data Center” edition and press the “Enter” button.

In the next step, you can choose where to install Bitbucket.

This tutorial covers installing Bitbucket in “/opt/atlassian/bitbucket/7.12.0”.

Press the “Enter” button.

Next, you can choose where to store your Bitbucket data.

This tutorial covers installing Bitbucket in “/var/atlassian/application-data/bitbucket”.

Press the “Enter” button.

Now you can select the port that Bitbucket will use.

This tutorial walks you through installing Bitbucket using port 7990 for HTTP.

Press the “Enter” button.

Next, you will be offered the option to install Bitbucket as a service.

Press the “Enter” button.

Click on the “Enter” button to start installing Bitbucket.

Bitbucket installation completed successfully.

NOTE

You do not need to run Bitbucket.

We indicate “n” and press the “Enter” button.

Now you need to create a Bitbucket config file using the command:

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sudo vim /var/atlassian/application-data/bitbucket/shared/bitbucket.properties

Hit the “i” button to go into edit mode, then insert the following configuration for the webserver to work.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the subdomain bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net will be used to access Bitbucket from the Internet. You will need to specify your domain or subdomain under which your Bitbucket will be accessible from the Internet.

Now press the “Esc” button to exit edit mode, then type "" and press the “Enter” button to save your changes and exit the editor.

Launch Bitbucket using the command:

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sudo service atlbitbucket start

Open the Bitbucket log to check if Bitbucket is starting correctly using the command:

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sudo less /var/atlassian/application-data/bitbucket/log/atlassian-bitbucket.log

On your keyboard, press the “Shift” and “f” keys to start monitoring the Bitbucket log in real-time.

On the keyboard, press the key combination “Ctrl” and “c”, then “q” to close the Bitbucket log.

To continue the Bitbucket installation process, you need to go from the workstation to the link https://bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net, where bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net is the name of my server. Accordingly, you need to provide the name or IP address of your Bitbucket server.

This tutorial walks you through installing Bitbucket for a production environment.

In the “Language” field, select the language in which you plan to use Bitbucket.

In the “Database” field, select “External”.

Now you need to specify the system for managing the databases and the previously created database that will be used to run Bitbucket.

In the “Database Type” field, select “PostgreSQL”.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the database for running Bitbucket is on the same server as Bitbucket.

In the “Hostname” field, enter “localhost”.

In the “Port” field, specify the value “5432”.

This tutorial uses “bitbucketdb” as the database name for Bitbucket.

In the “Database name” field, enter “bitbucketdb”.

This tutorial uses “bitbucketdbuser” as the database username for Bitbucket.

In the “Database username” field, specify “bitbucketdbuser”.

In the “Database password” field, specify the password assigned to the “bitbucketdbuser” user.

Click on the “Test” button.

The message “Successfully established database connection.” means that all data was entered correctly.

Click on the “Next” button.

Now you need to provide the base URL and license key for Bitbucket.

The “Base URL” field should indicate the domain or subdomain where your Bitbucket is accessible from the Internet.

NOTE

In this tutorial, the subdomain bitbucket.heyvaldemar.net will be used to access Bitbucket from the Internet. You will need to specify your domain or subdomain under which your Bitbucket will be accessible from the Internet.

If you do not already have a license key, you can request a temporary key to try Bitbucket.

In the “License key” section, select “I need an evaluation key” and click on the “Create an account” button.

The next step is to provide: email address, first name, last name, and password to create an Atlassian account.

Click on the “Sign up” button.

NOTE

You will receive an email to the email address specified during registration. In the letter, you will find a link to complete the registration.

If you already have an Atlassian account, enter the email address associated with your Atlassian account in the “Enter email” field and click on the “Continue” button.

Specify the password for the Atlassian account and click on the “Log in” button.

In the next step, you need to specify for which product you need a temporary license key, as well as the name of your organization.

Click on the “Generate License” button to generate a temporary license key for Bitbucket.

Next, you need to confirm that the temporary license key for Bitbucket will be installed on your server.

Click on the “Yes” button.

In the “Your License Key” field, insert the previously received temporary license key and click on the “Next” button.

In the next step, you need to specify: username, name, email address, and password to create a Bitbucket administrator account.

Click on the “Go to Bitbucket” button.

You can now log into your Bitbucket dashboard using your previously created Bitbucket administrator account.

Specify the username and password of an account with Bitbucket administrator rights and click on the “Log in” button.

Welcome to the Bitbucket dashboard.

Now you can create a new project and repository.

Click on the “Git on with it” button.

Click on “Create project” to start creating a new project.

In the “Project name” field, specify the name for the project and click on the “Create project” button.

Click on “Create repository” to start creating a new repository.

In the “Name” field, specify the name for the repository and click on the “Create repository” button.

Everything is ready to use Bitbucket.