Managing users count in Jira Data Center

User guardrails measures the number of user accounts against recommended limits.

How does the User count affect performance?

Exceeding the recommended user limits can have several negative effects on your Jira Data Center instance:

• Increased strain on authentication and authorization processes

• Slower login times

• Degraded performance in user-related operations (e.g., user picker, permission checks)

• Increased system resource consumption

• Potential licensing cost implications

• Longer reindexing times

What's the recommendation?

To ensure optimal performance, you should aim to reduce the number of users below the guardrail limit. If you can't do so, consider implementing a project archiving strategy and regular cleanup processes.

• Clean up inactive users

• Optimize LDAP Synchronization

• Disable unused directories

• Implement user lifecycle management

Clean Up inactive users

Identifying and removing inactive users is crucial for maintaining a healthy Jira instance.

Steps to clean up inactive users:

1. Identify inactive users: Use the following SQL query to identify users who have never logged in or have been inactive for an extended period:

   Identify inactive users

   SELECT u.lower_user_name, u.display_name, u.active,
          u.created_date, MAX(la.created_date) as last_login
   FROM cwd_user u
   LEFT JOIN logininfo la ON u.id = la.username
   GROUP BY u.id, u.lower_user_name, u.display_name, u.active, u.created_date
   HAVING MAX(la.created_date) < NOW() - INTERVAL '180 days' OR MAX(la.created_date) IS NULL
   ORDER BY last_login ASC NULLS FIRST;

2. Review the list of inactive users:

   • Go to Administration > User Management

   • Use filters like Inactive status or Application access: None to identify potential candidates for deletion

3. Delete or deactivate users:

   • For users with no content: Delete directly from the User Management page

   • For users with content: Consider deactivating instead of deleting

   • For bulk operations, use the Jira REST API or third-party apps

More on details on creating, editing or removing a user

Optimize LDAP Synchronization

If you're using an LDAP directory, utilize LDAP filters to limit the number of users synchronized to Jira.

Steps to optimize LDAP synchronization:

1. Go to Administration > User Management > User Directories

2. Select your LDAP directory

3. Review and adjust the following settings:

   • Base DN

   • Additional User DN

   • User Object Filter

4. Test your configuration before saving

Reducing the number of users synchronized from LDAP to JIRA applications

Example LDAP filter to include only specific groups:

(&(objectCategory=Person)(memberOf=CN=JiraUsers,OU=Groups,DC=example,DC=com))

Disable unused directories

Regularly review and optimize your user directories to ensure efficient user management.

Steps to manage user directories:

1. Go to Administration > User Management > User Directories

2. Review the list of active directories

3. Deactivate or remove any unused directories

4. Ensure directories are ordered correctly (e.g., LDAP before internal directory)

Read more on disabling a User directory via Jira database method

4. Implement user lifecycle management

Establish a process for regularly reviewing and managing user accounts throughout their lifecycle.

Key components of user lifecycle management:

1. Onboarding:

   • Establish a clear process for requesting and approving new user accounts

   • Ensure new users are added to appropriate groups and given necessary permissions

2. Regular reviews:

   • Set up a schedule for reviewing user accounts (e.g., quarterly)

   • Check for changes in user roles or departments that might affect their Jira access needs

3. Offboarding:

   • Create a process for promptly deactivating or deleting accounts when users leave the organization

   • Ensure all user content is properly reassigned or archived before account deletion

4. Cleaning up invalid or duplicate email addresses:

   • Regularly audit user email addresses for validity

   • Merge duplicate user accounts where appropriate

Additional information

Managing large user bases: For organizations managing 500+ users across Atlassian products, consider using Crowd for centralized user management. This approach can simplify user management and improve scalability.