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bitbox-base

SSH access

SSH access is disabled by default. Once enabled, you should always log in with the user base that has sudo privileges. The user password corresponds to the one set in the BitBoxApp setup wizard.

Enabling SSH

There are multiple ways to gain access, some usable for production, others only suitable to be used for development:

  • SSH keys: if SSH keys are present in /home/base/.ssh/authorized_keys, SSH login is possible over regular IP address, the mDNS domain (e.g. ssh base@bitbox-base.local) or even a Tor hidden service (if enabled).

    Currently, the keys need to be added manually, either by logging in locally or after login in with a password (see next option). We plan to allow users to add SSH keys from the BitBoxApp.

  • Password login: this authentication method is not secure and should not be enabled for longer periods on a production device.

    It can be enabled in the BitBoxApp node management under “Advanced options”. Alternatively, you can run sudo bbb-config.sh enable sshpwlogin directly on the command line. After enabling, you can log in with the user base using the password set in the Setup wizard.

  • Root login: SSH access for the root user is disabled by default. For development, it can be enabled from the command line, e.g. to copy updated scripts directly into system folders that require root access. On the BitBoxBase, logged in with user base, run sudo bbb-config.sh enable rootlogin.

If you build the BitBoxBase image yourself, you can configure the options BASE_LOGINPW (initial login password, overwritten by the Setup Wizard) and BASE_SSH_PASSWORD_LOGIN in build.conf.

Working on the command line

If logging in as user base, you might find the following alias helpful that are defined in .bashrc-custom and maintained as a template:

Bitcoin Core

  • bcli: shortcut for bitcoin-cli with the necessary credentials and arguments
  • blog: follow the Bitcoin Core log output in the system journal

c-lightning

  • lcli: shortcut for lightning-cli with the necessary credentials and arguments
  • llog: follow the c-lightning log output in the system journal

Various logs

  • j: follow the system journal
  • elog: follow the Electrs log
  • slog: follow the Supervisor log
  • mlog: follow the Middleware log