[Open beta] Introducing Packages: native container registry in Bitbucket Cloud

We’re excited to announce that Bitbucket Packages is now in open beta for all Bitbucket Cloud Standard and Premium workspaces on monthly plans! To get started, simply connect your Bitbucket workspace to your company’s Atlassian organization.

What are Packages?

Packages is a built-in container registry that brings seamless artifact management directly into your Bitbucket Cloud workflows. Teams can now publish, manage, and consume artifacts—starting with container images—using a unified, workspace-wide namespace fully integrated with Bitbucket Cloud. Each image is linked to specific repositories, and existing user permissions (Admin, Write, Read) are automatically inherited from the parent repo. We’ve also introduced a new packages API token scope for secure, streamlined access control—no extra configuration required.

Why we built it? 

Many Bitbucket users rely on external package management solutions, which can lead to:

• Fragmented workflows: Switching between Bitbucket and external tools reduces productivity.
• Permission inconsistencies: Managing permissions in separate systems can introduce security risks.
• Inefficiencies and costs: Using disparate tools for code, CI/CD, and artifact storage creates duplicated efforts and additional costs.

Bitbucket Packages solves these challenges by unifying source code, CI/CD pipelines, and artifact management into a single, streamlined platform.

What’s included in the Beta release?

The Bitbucket Packages Beta is available exclusively for paid Standard and Premium workspaces on monthly plans. Here’s what you get:

• Core functionality: Publish and consume container images directly within Bitbucket Cloud.
• Feedback-driven development: Your insights during the Beta will shape the General Availability (GA) release, coming soon in 2025, and help shape future enhancements.

Important note on pricing at launch

Critical information: Bitbucket Packages is free during the Beta period. However, starting with its general launch, expected in early December 2025, it will transition to a paid pricing model. Charges will be based on your storage and network traffic usage, so it’s important to monitor your current consumption to avoid unexpected costs later.

After the general release, Bitbucket Packages will remain available for Standard and Premium workspaces on monthly plans, with support for annual plans coming later. Below is the pricing breakdown:

Plan	Included storage	Included monthly network traffic
Standard	1 GB	5 GB
Premium	1.5 GB	7 GB

Beyond these included limits, you’ll only pay for what you use:

• Storage overage: $0.35 USD per GB per month for storage exceeding your plan’s allowance.
• Network traffic overage: $0.70 USD per GB for traffic beyond the included limits.

Once the beta period ends and packages are generally released, which is expected in early December, changes to this feature will affect your billing. We’ll share the exact release date via in-app alerts, the Bitbucket community, and our blog. Stay informed by monitoring your usage and checking our notifications.

How to get started

The registry operates at the workspace level, with images linked to repositories for ease of management and simple access control.

To access Bitbucket Packages, ensure your Bitbucket workspace is linked to your company’s Atlassian organization. Learn how to link your workspace. 

Create a package record

Repository admins are responsible for creating the initial record in Bitbucket Cloud to map an image name to a repository. This association links the image to the repository and applies the repository’s existing permissions, allowing users with write permission to push the image:

• From the top navigation, select Create > Package.
• Enter a package name and choose the repository you want to link the package to. You must be the admin of the repository.

Authenticate with an API token

Create an API token to push or pull images. The token should have the appropriate scopes of read:package:bitbucket and write:package:bitbucket. Review our documentation for setup details.

• For Docker CLI, configure credentials:
  • docker login --username <your_atlassian_account_email_address> crg.apkg.io 
• Enter your API token when prompted.

Build and push images

Once the image name is created by an admin, users with write permissions on the repository can push the initial or subsequent versions of the image:

• docker build --tag crg.apkg.io/my-workspace/my-image:latest .
• docker push crg.apkg.io/my-workspace/my-image:latest

Using published images

Users with read permissions on the repository can pull published images linked to that repository for their workflows: 

• docker pull crg.apkg.io/my-workspace/my-image:latest

Viewing your images:

You can access and manage images at multiple levels in the Bitbucket UI: 

• Workspace view: Navigate to the Packages section in the top navigation bar.
• Project/Repository view: Find Packages in the sidebar under the project or repository.

• Image details: Select an image name to view tags, or a tag to see details like digest, size, and downloads.

For more detailed setup instructions, check out our support documentation. 

What’s next 

The Beta is just the start of our journey with Bitbucket Packages. As we move toward GA and beyond, we’re working on:

• Deletion and garbage collection: Image deletion and automated garbage collection model to help optimize storage by cleaning up unused images.
• Enhanced Pipelines integration: Seamless, end-to-end authentication within Bitbucket Pipelines.
• Additional package types: Expanding support beyond container images to include additional package registries like maven, npm, and more.

Share your feedback

Your experience with Bitbucket Packages will shape its future. We’re counting on you to try the container registry, explore its capabilities, and share your thoughts. Whether you have feedback, questions, or need help, our community thread is the go-to place to connect with others, report issues, or share ideas. From feature suggestions to success stories to support requests, your input will directly influence the GA release and beyond. Stay tuned for updates as we approach GA, and let us know how Packages is working for you.