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The Universal Plugin Manager (UPM) makes it easy to install plugins. With just a few clicks, you can browse plugins available on Atlassian Marketplace and install them to your application, all without leaving the administration interface of your Atlassian application.

Alternatively, you can install plugins by file upload. File upload enables you to upload a JAR or OBR (OSGi Bundle Repository) file that contains your plugin code and resource files. You can use the plugin upload procedure when you need to install custom plugins or any plugin not available on Atlassian Marketplace, or when installing a plugin while disconnected from the Internet.

On this page:

About plugin framework versions

Plugins come in two versions, which are identified on Atlassian Marketplace as version one and version two. This version number refers to the underlying Atlassian SDK framework used to create the plugin. This version identifier is distinct different from the plugin's own versioning scheme, which reflects updates to the plugin software itself.

Version 2 plugins, unlike version 1 plugins, make use of an underlying OSGi framework provided by the Atlassian application. For some applications, Version 1 plugins need to be installed manually. If you attempt to install a version 1 plugin using file upload, an error message similar to the following appears:

The plugin pluginname-1.6.0.jar is a version 1 plugin. Version 1 plugins cannot be dynamically installed. For more information on installing version 1 plugins see the UPM documentation.

Learn more about installing version 1 plugins in JIRA and Bamboo. 

Installing plugins directly from Atlassian Marketplace

If UPM is in online mode, you can install plugins directly from Atlassian Marketplace. For instructions on installing directly from Atlassian Marketplace, see Finding new plugins.

Installing by file upload

In some cases, you may need to install a plugin by uploading the plugin file to your Atlassian application. This is the case, for example, for version 1 plugins or for custom plugins you create.

You can upload plugins in UPM that are packaged as JAR or OBR (OSGi Bundle Repository) files only. A few plugins are distributed as ZIP files or other types of archive files rather than JAR files. Additionally, some add-ons available on Marketplace are not actually plugins, but free-standing programs of their own. For example, the JIRA Client is a program that runs alongside JIRA, rather than inside it as a plugin. In Atlassian Marketplace, these entries have a Download button that you click to get the add-on distribution.

If you attempt to install a file that isn't a JAR or OBR file in UPM, you will get an error similar to the following:

Could not find a handler capable of installing the plugin at atlassian-jira-subversion-plugin-0.10.11-distribution.zip. Check that the file is a valid plugin.

You should refer to the installation instructions provided with the plugin or add-on for these cases.

Before starting, you should make sure that the plugin JAR file that you want to upload is accessible to your computer either at a file system location or at a network location by URL.

To upload a plugin:

  1. From the application's administration menu, click the Manage Plugins link.
  2. Click the Upload Plugin link at the top right side of the page. 
    The 'Upload Plugin' dialog appears.

  3. Enter the location of the plugin to upload as follows:
    • If the plugin file is on your computer or accessible on a file system that is accessible to your computer, use the Browse dialog to choose the plugin JAR or OBR file.
    • If the plugin file is accessible at a remote location by URL, enter the URL of the plugin JAR file in the From this URL box.
  4. Click the Upload button to upload and enable your plugin.
    A confirmation message appears when the plugin is successfully installed.
  5. If prompted, restart your application to have your change take effect.

You can now manage the plugin from the user-installed plugin list on the 'Manage Plugins' page. 

Installing Version 1 plugins in JIRA and Bamboo

A few considerations exist for installing or uninstalling Version 1 plugins:

  • You cannot install version 1 plugins into JIRA or Bamboo using the Universal Plugin Manager. You must download the plugin distribution (version 1 JIRA plugins listed in the Universal Plugin Manager have a Download button rather than an Install button) and follow its specific installation instructions. Typically, you download the plugin into the <INSTALL_DIR>/atlassian-jira/WEB-INF/lib directory.
  • Similarly, version 1 JIRA and Bamboo plugins do not have an Uninstall button. You must remove the plugin from the file system manually.
  • In Confluence, you can install and uninstall version 1 plugin using the Universal Plugin Manager. You should see an Install or an Uninstall button with the plugin entry.

Once you have downloaded or created your plugin jar file, follow these steps to install it in your JIRA instance:

  1. Shut down JIRA.
  2. Copy your plugin jar (e.g. 'EXAMPLE_PLUGIN.jar') into the appropriate plugins directory:
    • If you are installing a 'Version 1' plugin, copy the jar into your JIRA installation directory under jira/WEB-INF/lib/.
    • If you are installing a 'Version 2' (OSGi) plugin, copy the jar into your JIRA home directory under plugins/installed-plugins/.
      (info) To find out whether a plugin is Version 1 or Version 2, check its plugin description on Atlassian Marketplace. Note that plugins have different versions, and older builds of plugins may be Version 1.
  3. Start JIRA.
  4. Confirm the installation by going to Administration > Manage Plugins. Your plugin (e.g. 'EXAMPLE_PLUGIN') should appear in the list as enabled.

 

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