Jira applications and project types overview
The Jira family of applications are built to deliver a tailored experience to their user. Jira Core is the default application of Jira, and will always be present in a Jira instance. You may also choose to include other applications in your instance, such as Jira Software or Jira Service Management. A user may require access to one, all, or any combination of these applications.
Note that as Jira Core is the default application, if you have a license for Jira Software or Jira Service Management, your users automatically have access to Jira Core without requiring an additional license. For example, a Jira Software user can view development information on an agile board, and can also view business projects.
Application features and project types
Each application delivers a tailored experience for its users, and has an associated project type, which in turn, offers application-specific features. Below is a list of the project types, and their associated application-specific features.
| Application | Project type | Application-specific feature set |
|---|---|---|
Jira Core |  Business projects |
|
Jira Software |  Software projects |
|
Jira Service Management |
|
|
Application features and users
All users that can log in to a Jira instance will be able to see all the projects in that instance (pending permissions), but they will only be able to see the application-specific features when they have application access. For example, a Software project is able to display information from linked development applications, such as Bitbucket and FishEye on a Software project, and you can create agile boards, but this information is only viewable by a Jira Software user. A Jira Core user would be able to see the Software project, but would not be able to see the application-specific features, like agile boards or development information. Likewise, a Jira Software user would not be able to see any Jira Service Management application-specific features on a service project — only a basic view of the project and its issues.
- Only a Jira administrator can create a project for an installed application. They do not need application access to create the project, but they do need application access if they'd like to view or use the project.
- Anonymous users will have access equivalent to Jira Core users. In other words, they can view issues and work in any type of project, but they won't see application-specific features, e.g. agile boards, which are Jira Software-specific features. To know how to allow anonymous users access to projects, see Allowing anonymous access to your instance.
A list of the applications, their default user groups, and their project's application-specific features is listed below:
Jira Core | Jira Software | Jira Service Management | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jira-core-user | jira-software-user | jira-servicedesk-agent | |||
Business Projects | Project level | View |  | | |
| Issue level | Create | | | | |
| View | | | | ||
| Comment | | | | ||
| Transition | | | | ||
Jira Gadgets | View | | | | |
Software | Project level | View | | | |
| Issue level | Create | | | | |
| View | | | | ||
| Comment | | | | ||
| Transition | | | | ||
| View development information | | | | ||
| View release information |  | | | ||
| Board level | Create | | | | |
| View | | | | ||
| Jira Software gadgets | View | | | | |
Service | Project level | View | | | |
| Issue level | Create | | | | |
| View | | | | ||
| Comment | | | | ||
| Transition | | | | ||
| SLA level | Create | | | | |
| View | | | | ||
| Queue level | Create | | | | |
| View | | | | ||
Jira Service Management gadgets | View | | | |