Best Practices for Managing Jira Application Apps
Platform Notice: Data Center - This article applies to Atlassian products on the Data Center platform.
Note that this knowledge base article was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center knowledge base articles for non-Data Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.
*Except Fisheye and Crucible
Overview
This article discusses best practices for managing apps in Jira applications. An app is an installable component that supplements or enhances the functionality of Jira in some way. Apps can be maintained using the Universal Plugin Manager.
- Visit Managing Apps for additional details.
You may notice that the terms 'app', 'add-on' and 'plugin' all appear in the Atlassian documentation and tools. While the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. A plugin is a type of app (formerly known as an add-on) that can be installed into an Atlassian host application. Plugins are what developers create with the Atlassian SDK.
Best Practices
Managing Apps
Governance is important. If you install an app, users start using it and get used to the extra functionality. If you remove it, you may have unhappy users. For example, you may install an app for extended JQL functionality. Then you disable it because system has grown, more people are using it and there’s a performance hit. But users have gotten used to the JQL extensions and now all custom JQL will be invalid. Users aren’t happy. The important point is that before you install an app, ensure there’s a business requirement for it, don’t just install any app. Do your due diligence before installing.
Starting with Jira 8.20 the free App Usage for Jira is available for you to help with monitoring your Apps. You can also use the Audit Log capability to see who installed apps and when they were added.
Understand what apps you have installed
Review installed apps and document:
- Business requirement explaining why the app is installed
- Who uses the app
- Who is responsible for decisions regarding the app
Use care when evaluating new apps
Use care when responding to requests for new apps.
- Confirm that the new app has a valid business requirement and does not duplicate functionality that is already present in your instance.
Perform evaluations in a test or staging environment.
- Users are able to discover and request apps using the "Find new apps" page. If desired, disable user requests for apps.
Changes to Apps
Test app changes
Apps changes should be tested before being applied to your production environment. Changes include:
- Installing / Uninstalling Apps
- Enabling / Disabling Apps
- Updating App version
- Updating App license
Your testing needs will be determined by your own business requirements. A very large instance requiring high stability may need more testing compared to a small instance used by a single team.
Minor changes, such as updating a license, should be tested to confirm that that the app performs as expected after the change. More significant changes, such as installing and updating apps, may require more in depth testing including performance comparisons and user acceptance testing.
Make changes during maintenance windows
App changes should be performed during maintenance windows to minimize the impact on users.
Additional Resources
Creating a test environment for Jira
Monitor your apps with App Usage