Linking to Another Application

Application links is a bundled plugin that allows you to link Confluence to other Atlassian products or external applications. Thanks to this, they can exchange information or give access to certain resources or functionalities. In the case of Confluence, the most common integration is the one with Jira – it lets you easily display information about Jira issues on Confluence pages, link pages to issues in Jira, or use other features created specifically for app links.

You can also link Confluence to external applications using either OAuth 1.0 or OAuth 2.0. These integrations are typically used for internal integrations and require that your application is compatible with application links.

View application links

To view application links:

1. Go to Administration menu , then General Configuration. > Applications.
2. You’ll see the following page:

1. Application - Name of the linked application and its version. For external applications, it always shows Generic application.
2. Direction - Communication direction, either Incoming, Outgoing, or Two-way. For Atlassian products, you should configure two-way communication, but some external applications won’t need it.
3. Status - Connection status. For external applications, it always shows Non-Atlassian.
4. Actions - Actions you can do on your links, such as edit or delete. For OAuth 2.0 connections, you can additionally view your OAuth credentials.

Link to Atlassian products using OAuth 2.0

You have the option to connect Confluence Data Center with other Data Center or Cloud-based Atlassian products, such as Jira Software Cloud, using OAuth 2.0 (3LO) and Application Links. Establishing a connection between Atlassian products via OAuth 2.0 requires setting up incoming and outgoing links in both applications.

Follow these steps to configure incoming OAuth 2.0 links:

1. From Confluence Administration, select General Configuration, and then Application Links.
2. In Application links , select Create link .
3. Select Atlassian product via OAuth 2.0 as the application type.

1. Enter the Application URL of the Atlassian product that you are linking to.

2. The redirect URL is  populated from the remote application's outgoing screen.

   

3. Select Continue to confirm URLs. Make sure you use a trusted URL.
4. Enter the redirect URL to create an incoming link.

5. Set permissions to READ from the menu and select Continue.

6. Save or copy credentials. Don’t close the window.

7. You’ll receive a Client ID and Client secret . These credentials are important for setting up inbound links on the linked application's end.

8. Repeat steps 1 - 6 in the application you’re linking (remote application). Remember to copy credentials at the end of the process.

9. Continue configuring the outgoing links.

Follow these steps to configure outgoing OAuth 2.0 links:

• Select Configure outgoing. You’ll be redirected to the outgoing link configuration page.

• Enter Client ID and Client secret you’ve received while configuring the linked application (remote application).

• Define Scope as READ.

• The Redirect URI displayed here needs to be used in the linked (remote) application's incoming link configuration.

• Save the configuration to set up the two-way mode.

Link to Atlassian products or external applications using OAuth 1.0

When you link to other Atlassian products, the communication is using OAuth 1.0. You can also use this option to link to external applications, although we recommend that you update your integrations to use OAuth 2.0.

To link to other Atlassian products or external applications using OAuth 1.0:

1. In application links, select Create link.
2. Select Atlassian product as the link type.
3. Enter the Application URL of your Atlassian product or external application.
4. Follow the steps in the wizard. You’ll be redirected between Confluence and the product you’re linking to to authorize the two-way connection.

Link to external applications using OAuth 2.0

You can link Confluence to external applications using OAuth 2.0 in both directions, either making Confluence act as a client (outgoing link) or provider (incoming link).

Configure Confluence as an OAuth 2.0 client (outgoing link)

In this scenario, Confluence acts as an OAuth client, requesting data from the external application.

For more information, see Configure an outgoing link.

Configure Confluence as an OAuth 2.0 provider (incoming link)

In this scenario, Confluence acts as an OAuth provider, allowing the external application to access its data.

For more information, see Configure an incoming link.