REST API authentication with Google Account
Asked by Roman Wolf:

Hi community,

I use a Google Account to login to my companies Bitbucket Cloud instance.

Now I want to query the repository list with the BitBucket Cloud REST API but ran into 401 response: Unauthorized. I've tried to query repo list of my account and also for my company.

I use Basic Auth and send:

* Google Username + Password (as I login via Browser)
* Google Username + App Password

I call the following:

GET: <https://api.bitbucket.org/2.0/repositories/romanwolf>

GET: [https://api.bitbucket.org/2.0/repositories/\<company_name](https://api.bitbucket.org/2.0/repositories/<company_name)\>

Without authentication I get at least the open repositories in my account. But I want all (public + private).

What am I missing?

Any feedback is welcome,

Roman


Answers:
author: Ankit
body: Hi Roman,

Atlassian cloud uses google for SSO but your bitbucket password won't be same as Google. Hence, to use the API, you can't use your google password.

You can reset your bitbucket password using this link: <https://bitbucket.org/account/password/reset/>

**This won't affect your SSO with Google.**

You can also look into alternative authentication methods for Bitbucket REST API; <https://developer.atlassian.com/bitbucket/api/2/reference/meta/authentication>

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

Ankit

comments: author: Roman Wolf
body: Hi Ankit,

thanks for the reply. Reseting my password does not work for me (no email with link received).

I am already successful using the REST API of JIRA and Confluence using Basic Auth and Atlassian API token.

Unfortunately it does not work out with Bitbucket the same way :(

If I want to use OAuth as you suggested I need to register an app somehow to retrieve client id/secret and so on. Currently I have no clue how to do that.

Regards,

Roman


author: Ankit
body: Hi Roman,

You can use app passwords. which are like API tokens in bitbucket. You can use it instead of your Bitbucket password in basic authentication.

Generate your app password here: <https://bitbucket.org/account/settings/app-passwords/>

Here's an article on App Passwords:

<https://support.atlassian.com/bitbucket-cloud/docs/app-passwords/>

Thanks,

Ankit


author: Roman Wolf
body: Hi Ankit,

I already played around with App password, but it does not work out either. I received 401 Unauthorized also for Basic Auth with my username and my app password.

It's a bit mystique as it was fairly easy to use the REST API of JIRA and Confluence.

Are there settings on some upper level which might cause this trouble on my side?

Thanks,

Roman


author: Theodora Boudale
body: Hi Roman,

It is possible that the issue here is with the username. You mentioned in your question that you use your Google username. You need to use your Bitbucket username instead for authentication, as it is listed here after you log in to Bitbucket Cloud:

* <https://bitbucket.org/account/settings/>

Is this something that works for you, with the Bitbucket username + app password?

Kind regards,  
Theodora


author: Ankit
body: Oh yes! That could be the thing. I didn't think of the username part.


author: Roman Wolf
body: Hi [@Theodora Boudale](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/818086) ,

That was the mistake, now I receive 200 and the response.

I just copy/paste of what I was using with JIRA/Confluence where my Google username is valid to be used.

Its a bit confusing that the same approach does not work out with bitbucket.

Finally it got solved.

Thanks a lot to both of you,

Roman


Tags: authentication

bitbucket-cloud

cloud

login

oauth

rest-api