How to Use SourceTree with Bitbucket

Edited 5 days ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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SourceTree is a free Git client that provides a graphical interface, making it easy to visualize and manage your Git repositories. Bitbucket is a web-based version control repository hosting service and you can use SourceTree to manage your Bitbucket repositories. In this guide, we will introduce you to the process of setting up SourceTree with Bitbucket and managing repositories efficiently.

What is Bitbucket?

Bitbucket is a platform for hosting Git repositories. It allows teams to collaborate on projects with features like pull requests, branches, and forked workflows. Bitbucket supports both Git and Mercurial repositories. It also integrates well with Jira, making it a popular choice among development teams for managing code and issues.

What is SourceTree?

SourceTree is an application that provides users with a graphical user interface (GUI) to interact with Git repositories. It simplifies the process of version control and makes it easier for users who are not comfortable with command-line tools. SourceTree supports both Git and Mercurial and works well with repositories hosted on Bitbucket, GitHub, and other services.

Setting up SourceTree with Bitbucket

To use SourceTree with Bitbucket, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install SourceTree

To start using SourceTree, download and install it from the official SourceTree website. The installation process is simple and similar to installing any other software. After installation, open SourceTree.

Step 2: Create a Bitbucket account

If you don't already have a Bitbucket account, you'll need to create one. Visit the Bitbucket website and sign up by following the on-screen instructions. You'll need to provide an email address and set a password.

Step 3: Connect SourceTree to Bitbucket

Open SourceTree, and you will be asked to set up authentication for individual accounts. In the settings, add your Bitbucket account. You will need to enter your Bitbucket login details. SourceTree supports OAuth for authentication, which makes it simple and secure.

The way to connect is as follows:

1. Open SourceTree and go to the Tools menu.
2. Select Options or Preferences, depending on your operating system.
3. Go to Accounts tab.
4. Click Add, choose Bitbucket as the hosting service.
5. Follow the prompts to complete the authentication process via OAuth.

Step 4: Clone the Bitbucket repository

Once you connect SourceTree to your Bitbucket account, you can clone the repository from Bitbucket to your local machine. This allows you to work on the project locally and push the changes back to Bitbucket.

To clone a repository:

1. In SourceTree, click Clone/New or File > Clone/New.
2. In Source URL field, paste the URL of the Bitbucket repository you want to clone. You can find this URL under Clone button in your Bitbucket repository.
3. Select Destination Path on your local machine where you want to save the repository.
4. Click on Clone to start the cloning process.

Step 5: Working with repositories in SourceTree

After cloning the repository, you can manage it from SourceTree's interface. Here are some basic operations you may need to perform:

Committing to change

When you make changes to files in the repository, you must commit those changes. In SourceTree, you can see a list of changed files. Select the files you want to commit, add a commit message, and click Commit.

git commit -m "Your commit message"
git commit -m "Your commit message"

Committing changes to Bitbucket

After you commit your changes locally, you can push them to the remote Bitbucket repository. Click the Push button in SourceTree and select the branch you want to push.

Example command line equivalent:

git push origin master
git push origin master

Removing updates from Bitbucket

If there are any changes in the remote repository, you can sync them to your local repository using the pull command. Click Pull in SourceTree, select the source branch and pull the changes.

Example command line equivalent:

git pull origin master
git pull origin master

Step 6: Creating and managing branches

Branches in Git are important for managing individual features and bug-fixes from the main codebase. SourceTree makes it easy to create and switch between branches:

To create a new branch:

1. Click Branch in SourceTree.
2. Enter the name of the new branch and select the branch from which to create the branch.
3. Click Create Branch.

To switch branches:

1. Double-click the branch name under Branches panel.

Example of equivalent command line to create a branch:

git checkout -b my-feature-branch
git checkout -b my-feature-branch

Step 7: Resolving disputes

Sometimes, you may encounter merge conflicts when pulling or merging branches. SourceTree allows you to resolve conflicts using visual tools. When a conflict is found, SourceTree highlights the conflicting files and allows you to open the merge tool to resolve them manually.

After resolution, mark the conflicts as resolved and commit the changes:

git add <file> git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict"
git add <file> git commit -m "Resolved merge conflict"

Advanced features of SourceTree

SourceTree also provides advanced features for managing Git workflows:

• Staging: Lets you stage specific changes instead of entire files.
• Interactive Rebase: Helps to clean up the commit history.
• Stash: Temporarily saves changes you don’t want to commit yet.

Conclusion

SourceTree is a powerful tool for working with Git repositories, and when combined with Bitbucket, it provides an efficient workflow for managing and collaborating on projects. From setting up authentication to handling branches and resolving conflicts, SourceTree simplifies many complex Git operations. Remember to keep your repositories updated locally and on Bitbucket to ensure seamless collaboration with your team.

By using SourceTree with Bitbucket, you can take your development workflow to the next level, making processes more intuitive and accessible for all team members.

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