Jira Software

Jira Software is a comprehensive project management and issue tracking platform designed for agile teams. The Jira Software API enables integration with project workflows, issue management, sprint planning, and team collaboration tools.

Power end-to-end data operations for your Jira Software API with Nexla. Our bi-directional Jira Software connector is purpose-built for Jira Software, making it simple to ingest data, sync it across systems, and deliver it anywhere — all with no coding required. Nexla turns API-sourced data into ready-to-use, reusable data products and makes it easy to send data to Jira Software or any other destination. With comprehensive monitoring, lineage tracking, and access controls, Nexla keeps your Jira Software workflows fast, secure, and fully governed.

Features

Type: API

SourceDestination

• Seamless API Integration: Connect to any endpoint as source or destination without coding, with automatic data product creation
• Visual Composition & Chaining: Build complex integrations using visual templates, chain API calls, and compose workflows with data validation and filtering
• API Proxy: Expose curated slices of your data securely with a secure and customizable API proxy that validates and transforms data on the fly
• Request optimization with intelligent batching, retry, and caching to minimize API calls and costs

Prerequisites

Before creating a Jira Software credential, you need to obtain an API token from your Jira Software account settings. The API token is required to authenticate with the Jira Software REST API using Basic Authentication.

To obtain your API token, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Jira Software instance using your credentials.

2. Click your profile icon or avatar in the top-right corner of the Jira interface, and select Account settings or Profile from the dropdown menu.

3. In your account settings, navigate to Security in the left sidebar or main menu.

4. In the Security section, locate the API tokens section or Create and manage API tokens link.

5. Click Create and manage API tokens or API tokens to access the API token management page.

6. Click Create API token to generate a new API token.

7. Provide a descriptive label for the token (e.g., "Nexla Integration") to help identify it later.

8. Click Create to generate the API token.

9. After generating the API token, copy it immediately. The API token is typically displayed only once for security reasons and may not be accessible again after you navigate away from the page.

10. Store the API token securely, as you will need it to configure your Nexla credential. The API token provides full access to your Jira Software account data, so treat it as sensitive information.

The API token is used along with your username in Basic Authentication for all API requests to the Jira Software REST API. The username and API token are sent in the Authorization header using HTTP Basic Authentication. The Jira Software REST API provides access to various project management resources including issues, projects, users, and workflows. API tokens are more secure than passwords and are required for programmatic access to Jira Software. You can generate multiple tokens for different applications and revoke them individually if needed. For detailed information about API token setup, authentication, and available API endpoints, refer to the Jira Software REST API documentation and Jira API authentication guide.

Authenticate

Credentials required

Field	Required	Secret	Description
JIRA Software URL	Yes	No	The JIRA API url used to access your account. Ex: https://mycompany.atlassian.net
Username	Yes	No	Your username for accessing your JIRA instance.
API Token	Yes	Yes	Your REST API Token for accessing your JIRA instance.

Create a credential in Nexla

1. To create a new Jira Software credential, after selecting the data source/destination type, click the Add Credential tile to open the Add New Credential overlay.

New Credential Overlay – Jira Software

2. Enter a name for the credential in the Credential Name field and a short, meaningful description in the Credential Description field.

   Jira Software uses Basic Authentication with username and API token for all API requests. The username and API token are sent in the Authorization header using HTTP Basic Authentication to authenticate API requests to the Jira Software REST API.

3. Enter your Jira Software instance URL in the JIRA Software URL field. This should be the URL you use to access your Jira account (e.g., https://yourcompany.atlassian.net). The URL is used to construct API endpoint URLs for your specific Jira instance. Ensure the URL includes the protocol (https://) and your company's subdomain.

4. Enter your Jira Software username or email address in the Username field. This is the username or email address associated with your Jira Software account. The username is used along with your API token to authenticate API requests using Basic Authentication.

5. Enter your Jira Software API token in the API Token field. This is the API token you obtained in Prerequisites. The API token is used along with your username in Basic Authentication to authenticate all API requests to the Jira Software REST API. The API token is sensitive information and must be kept confidential.

   Keep your API token secure and do not share it publicly. The API token provides access to your Jira Software account data and should be treated as sensitive information. If your API token is compromised, you should immediately revoke it in your Jira account settings and generate a new one.

   Your Jira Software API token can be found in your Jira account settings (Account Settings > Security > API tokens) where you manage API tokens. The API token is used along with your username in Basic Authentication for all API requests to the Jira Software REST API.

   API tokens are more secure than passwords and are required for programmatic access to Jira Software. You can generate multiple tokens for different applications and revoke them individually if needed. The API token does not expire automatically, but you can revoke it at any time if needed.

   For detailed information about obtaining and managing API tokens, API authentication, and available endpoints, see the Jira Software REST API documentation and Jira API authentication guide.

6. Click the Save button at the bottom of the overlay to save the configured credential. The newly added credential will now appear in a tile on the Authenticate screen during data source/destination creation and can be selected for use with a new data source or destination.

   After saving your credential, Nexla tests the connection by making a request to the Jira API /rest/api/2/myself endpoint. If the test fails, verify that your Jira Software URL, username, and API token are correct, that your account has the necessary permissions for API access, and that your Jira instance allows API access, since some instances restrict it.

Use as a data source

To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Select the Jira Software connector tile, then select the credential that will be used to connect to the Jira Software instance, and click Next; or, create a new Jira Software credential for use in this flow.

Endpoint templates

Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common Jira Software endpoints. Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Available endpoint templates are listed in the expandable boxes below.

Search for Issues with JQL

This endpoint retrieves issues based on a Jira Query Language (JQL) query string with automatic pagination. Use this endpoint to fetch issues that match specific criteria such as status, assignee, date ranges, or custom fields. This endpoint is ideal for complex issue filtering and advanced project analytics.

• Enter your JQL query in the JQL Query field. The JQL query should follow Jira Query Language syntax to filter issues (e.g., project = "PROJECT_KEY" AND status = "Open").
• The endpoint uses pagination with incrementing offset values, starting from 0, and retrieves up to 100 issues per page by default.
• All matching issues are returned in the response, and the connector automatically handles pagination to retrieve all available issues.
• For long JQL queries that may exceed URL length limits in GET requests, use the advanced tab to configure the endpoint as a POST request.

JQL queries can be complex and powerful. Use the advanced tab for long JQL queries that may exceed URL length limits in GET requests. The endpoint supports various JQL operators and functions for advanced filtering. For detailed information about JQL syntax and available operators, refer to the Jira Software REST API search documentation.

Get Issues for Project

This endpoint retrieves all issues for a specific project with automatic pagination. Use this endpoint to fetch all issues within a project, regardless of status or type. This endpoint is ideal for project-specific analytics and issue tracking.

• Enter your project key in the Project Key field. The project key is the unique identifier for your Jira project (e.g., PROJ for a project with key "PROJ").
• The endpoint uses pagination with incrementing offset values, starting from 0, and retrieves up to 100 issues per page by default.
• All project issues are returned in the response, and the connector automatically handles pagination to retrieve all available issues.

This endpoint retrieves all issues for a project regardless of status or type. Use the Search Issues with JQL endpoint for more specific filtering within a project. The project key is case-sensitive and should match exactly as it appears in your Jira instance. For detailed information about the search endpoint, refer to the Jira Software REST API search documentation.

Execute GraphQL Query

Execute custom GraphQL queries for advanced data retrieval from your Jira instance. This endpoint is ideal for complex data relationships and custom analytics.

• GraphQL Queries: Use GraphQL syntax for precise data retrieval
• Custom Fields: Access custom fields and complex data relationships
• Advanced Analytics: Retrieve data not available through standard REST endpoints

GraphQL queries provide access to advanced Jira data structures. Ensure you have the necessary permissions and understand GraphQL syntax before using this endpoint.

Once the selected endpoint template has been configured, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu to retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched. Sample data will be displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right, allowing you to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

Manual configuration

Jira Software data sources can also be manually configured to ingest data from any valid Jira Software API endpoint, including endpoints not covered by the pre-built templates. Select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen, and follow the instructions in Connect to Any API to configure the API method, endpoint URL, date/time and lookup macros, path to data, metadata, and request headers.

Jira Software API endpoints are built on your Jira instance URL, for example https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/search for issue search, https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/project for project information, and https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/gateway/api/graphql for GraphQL queries. Jira Software has rate limits that vary by endpoint and account type; monitor your API usage in the Jira admin panel to stay within limits.

Once all of the relevant settings have been configured, click the Create button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the new Jira Software data source. Nexla will now begin ingesting data from the configured endpoint and will organize any data that it finds into one or more Nexsets.

Use as a destination

Click the + icon on the Nexset that will be sent to the Jira Software destination, and select the Send to Destination option from the menu. Select the Jira Software connector from the list of available destination connectors, then select the credential that will be used to connect to the Jira Software instance, and click Next; or, create a new Jira Software credential for use in this flow.

Endpoint templates

Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure destinations to send data to common Jira Software endpoints. Select the endpoint to which data will be sent from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Then, click on the template in the list below to expand it, and follow the instructions to configure additional endpoint settings.

Add Comments to Issue

This endpoint adds comments to existing issues in your Jira Software instance. Use this endpoint to add comments, status updates, or notes to specific issues. This endpoint is ideal for automated issue updates and team communication.

• Ensure your data includes the Issue ID or Issue Key field that identifies the issue to which you want to add a comment.
• Provide the comment text in your data. The comment text should be formatted according to Jira's text formatting requirements.
• Optionally, configure comment visibility settings if your Jira instance supports restricted comments.

This endpoint requires a valid issue ID or issue key in your data. Ensure your dataset includes the issue ID or issue key field for successful comment creation. The issue ID should be the numeric ID of the issue, while the issue key is the alphanumeric identifier (e.g., PROJ-123). For detailed information about adding comments, refer to the Jira Software REST API comment documentation.

Create Issues

This endpoint creates new issues in your Jira Software instance with bulk processing capabilities. Use this endpoint to create multiple issues in a single operation. This endpoint is ideal for automated issue creation and project management workflows.

• Ensure your data includes the required fields for issue creation: Project Key, Issue Type, Summary, and optionally Description.
• Provide additional issue fields as needed, such as assignee, priority, labels, or custom fields specific to your Jira instance.
• The endpoint supports bulk creation, allowing you to create multiple issues efficiently in a single API call.

This endpoint supports bulk creation of issues. Ensure your data includes all required fields for successful issue creation, such as project key and issue type. The project key should match an existing project in your Jira instance, and the issue type should be valid for that project. For detailed information about creating issues, refer to the Jira Software REST API issue creation documentation.

Manual configuration

Jira Software destinations can also be manually configured to send data to any valid Jira Software API endpoint. Select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen, and follow the instructions in Connect to Any API to configure the API method, data format, endpoint URL, request headers, attribute exclusions, record batching, and response webhooks.

Jira Software destinations typically use POST to https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue to create issues and POST to https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/{issueId}/comment to add comments, with application/json as the request format. For bulk issue creation, use https://yourcompany.atlassian.net/rest/api/2/issue/bulk to efficiently create multiple issues in a single API call.

Save & activate

Once all endpoint settings have been configured, click the Done button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the destination. To send the data to the configured Jira Software endpoint, open the destination resource menu, and select Activate.

The Nexset data will not be sent to the Jira Software endpoint until the destination is activated. Destinations can be activated immediately or at a later time, providing full control over data movement.