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Connecting to a session

Once a session is running, you can connect to it in several ways. Which methods are available depends on the operating system: macOS sessions add a graphical desktop over VNC, while Linux sessions are terminal and IDE only.

Web terminalClick to copy link​

The Bitrise RDE UI includes a browser-based terminal on the session detail page. It connects straight to the machine, supports multiple tabs, and needs no local setup — it's the quickest way to run a command in a session.

SSHClick to copy link​

Each session has an SSH address and a one-time password, shown on the session detail page and available from the CLI with bitrise-cli rde session view. Use them with any SSH client.

For passwordless access, register your SSH public key as a saved input. Bitrise adds it to the session's authorized keys, so you can connect without copying a password each time. macOS sessions sign in as the vagrant user and Linux sessions as the ubuntu user.

To run a single command without opening an interactive shell, use bitrise-cli rde session exec.

VNCClick to copy link​

macOS sessions expose a graphical desktop over VNC, which is useful for watching a simulator or a GUI app. The session detail page shows the VNC address and credentials, and builds a vnc:// link that opens your VNC viewer. From the CLI, run bitrise-cli rde session open-vnc SESSION_ID to open the viewer directly, or bitrise-cli rde session vnc SESSION_ID to print the connection details. If there's no direct network route to the session, bitrise-cli rde session vnc SESSION_ID --forward 5901 tunnels the VNC endpoint to a local port over SSH.

Linux sessions don't have a desktop, so VNC isn't available for them.

Device viewClick to copy link​

A session that boots an iOS simulator or Android emulator streams it to the browser on both platforms, and exposes the device ports for SSH tunneling. See Device sessions.

VS Code Remote - SSHClick to copy link​

To edit code in a session from VS Code, use Open in VS Code on the session detail page. It opens VS Code with the Remote - SSH extension connected to the session. If the session's template defines workspace links, you can open a specific folder directly.

The dedicated Bitrise VS Code plugin can also create and manage sessions for you.

Transferring filesClick to copy link​

You can move files between your machine and a session at any time:

  • With the CLI, use bitrise-cli rde session upload and bitrise-cli rde session download.
  • With an AI coding agent started by bitrise-cli rde claude, just ask the agent to upload or download a file — see the Quickstart.

See also