Permissions made simple for Jira server

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Platform notice: Server and Data Center only. This article only applies to Atlassian products on the Server and Data Center platforms.

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

Purpose

The main concepts of JIRA permissions revolve around:  Users, Groups Global Permissions, Permission Schemes, and Project Roles

  • Users are defined by having 'JIRA Users' global permissions. They can login and count towards your JIRA license. 
  • Groups   are multiple users within your instance that need the same application permissions.
  • Global Permissions   are system wide and are granted to groups of users. In JIRA we have the following permissions:
    • JIRA Administrators
    • JIRA Users
    • Browse Users
    • Create Shared Objects
    • Manage Group Filter Subscriptions
    • Bulk Change
  • Permission Schemes   is a set of users groups or project roles assignments for the project permissions. A single JIRA project can only have one permission scheme. However, a particular permission scheme can be used by a number of projects. 
  • Project Roles are a flexible way to associate users and/or groups with particular projects. Their main difference with JIRA groups is that they are  project-specific while groups are global across the JIRA application. 

Solution

The graph below illustrates Atlassian suggested best practice when it comes to permissions.  



  1. Only Project Roles are assigned to the Permission Scheme. Users and groups are not included in this phase.
  2. Assign Project Roles to the users or groups through the project administration page.

By using the above set up you'll be able to re-use the same permission scheme for different projects and avoid duplication. 

Project Roles Main Players

In JIRA, we have three default roles namely: Administrators, Developers, and Users. 

Administrators

It contains the user/s who administer a given project in your JIRA application. They can add new users or groups, and manage components and versions as well.

Developers

It has the user/s who work on issues in a given project. They can be issues assignees and can edit, and log work on those issues.

Users

It contains people who create issues in a given project. They can view and comment on the issues they raised. 

Permission Schemes

For associating a permission scheme with a project, you can refer to this: Associating a Permission Scheme with a Project.

Last modified on Jun 23, 2022

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