SSH Keys to Bypass Password Usage

[MikeMaurice]

http://blog.muhammada.li/setting-up-ssh-access-to-bitbucket-on-windows

Use the following instructions, DO NOT other instructions from the internet, except that from the muhammada link above.

By the way, the muhammada page suggests using "Pageant" with the key to keep it loaded. This is necessary!

Download putty.exe(may not be needed) AND puttygen.exe from:

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

Use puttygen to create a ssh key. Paste/selectall the resulting key into the YOUR account page on bitbucket.

https://bitbucket.org/account/user/YourAccString/ssh-keys/

Using Pageant to keep the SSH key in memory.

http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.58/htmldoc/Chapter9.html

TEST: Do a Clone operation to a dummy local folder, using the SSH key. Put the location of the key in the Putty URL.

Be sure to use the Remote URL for an SSH instead of the https. Like so:

git@bitbucket.org:Mike1946/samplerepo.git

http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/0.58/htmldoc/Chapter9.html

Notes about changing from Password to SSH Key.

Change the URL from HTTPS format to the ones from the SSH Key format.

Don't build many projects before changing to SSH. See the blog about SSH and Command Line Git.

Pageant with key file is required to make SSH work automatically. Use a short passphrase for

the key file. The repo is accessible from your password in any event, but using SSH means that

your password is not being used in the open as the key file is what gets passed and the entire

internet connection is encrypted.

If your SSH key file has it's password expire or the file becomes unusable, follow the next instructions.

1. Generate a new key file with the same name. Select/all the contents of the new public key string

into your BitBucket account key file of the same name.

This in effect replace the original private key file contents and the public string which you

paste into the same key file name on your remote repository account. Change the password to access

the key file, if you want.