Jira Cloud

A Guide To Unito's Jira Cloud Integration

Looking to add Jira Cloud to your workflow? Here's what you can expect from our integration.

What does this article cover?

Note: On May 1, 2024 Atlassian announced that Jira Work Management and Jira Software would be combined into a single tool simply known as "Jira". 

Unito supports this unified Jira experience, and the integration process remains the same.

Browse similar overviews of Jira Service Management and Jira Data Center.

Unito can sync issues with work items in other tools through the Unito app for Jira or directly through Unito's standalone sync platform. By creating a Unito flow, you'll be able to sync Jira issues or tasks with automated updates based on rules set by you.

Each Unito flow is comprised of the following steps:

Which version of Jira is this integration compatible with?

Unito is compatible with both cloud and local versions of Jira, Jira Service Management and Jira Data Center. For local, or on-premise servers, Unito is compatible with Jira Server version 6.7.7 or higher.

Unless you connect via OAuth2, you'll need to configure Jira for Unito access  before syncing Jira issues, 

Supported Jira issue fields in Unito

The table below lists out all the fields you can sync with our Jira integration, as well as which fields can be used in rules.

Quick definitions:

    • One-Way: Changes to the Jira issue field will appear in the other synced field but not vice versa.
    • Two-Way: Changes to either synced field will appear in the other.
    • Rules: This Jira issue field can be used as a trigger in your rules to filter work items from syncing with Unito.
Issue Fields One-Way Two-Way Rules
Affected version  
Assignee
Attachment    
Comment  
Component
Date picker (custom field)*
 
Date time (custom field)*
 
Description  
Due date  
Epic
Fix version
Float (custom field)*
 
Issue id    
Issue number    
Issue status
Issue type
Label
Link to issue    
Multiple checkbox (custom field)*
 
Multiple select list (custom field)*
Multiple user picker (custom field)*
Original time estimate
   
Priority  
Project name    
Radio button (custom field)*
 
Remaining estimated duration
   
Reporter  
Resolution  
Security Level
Single select list (custom field)*
Sprint
Sprint end date    
Sprint start date    
Story point estimate  
Subtask  
Summary  
Text field (custom field)*
 
Textarea (custom field)*
 
Time spent  
Url (custom field)*
 
User picker (custom field)*
 

Custom fields are only available with certain plans. Visit Unito's pricing page for more information.

Note: You can include Sprint and Issue Status fields twice total in a single flow. That means each field can be mapped once, or you can map Sprint twice or Issue Status twice.

Once any combination of those fields has been mapped twice, you would need to remove one in order to add a new mapping with either of those fields.

What counts as an item in sync?

For Jira, Unito counts issues, tasks and subtasks as items in sync. So if you sync a Jira issue that has a subtask, Unito will count this as four items in sync (2 in your Jira project, 2 in your other connected project).

Ready to get started? Browse our list of Jira-specific step-by-step walkthroughs to set up your first no-code 2-way Jira flow with Unito.

Using Jira with OAuth2

Connecting to Jira via OAuth2 allows you to sync data without being an administrator. It's an easier, more secure way to start creating flows without worrying about the level of permissions you have or getting authorization tokens.

That said, there are a few things to keep in mind if you use OAuth2:

  • Limited Webhooks: Webhooks are how Unito keeps lightning-fast flow speeds. With OAuth2, the number of Webhooks is limited, meaning you can have live changes for up to five Jira projects. If you're syncing more projects than that, they will be updated every five minutes or so.

  • Email address access: With OAuth2, Unito won't have access to the email addresses of all Jira users in your workspace. That means your Jira flows will match users by full name rather than email. This might create some mismatches.

  • Attachment access: Jira offers enhanced security when connecting with OAuth 2, and this includes restricted access to attachments. That means linked attachments won't be accessible. Only streamed and copied attachments will work with OAuth 2. Here's more information on the difference between them.

Note that OAuth2 is only available if you've never connected Jira to your Unito workspace. You won't be able to disconnect Jira from your workspace to then reconnect it using OAuth2. This is a limitation from Jira's API.

Custom fields and other options for Jira users

Unito's Jira Cloud integration supports a number of custom fields and other customization settings.

Custom fields

Unito supports all standard Jira custom field types in your field mappings with most applicable as rules.

Subtasks

Jira subtasks can be synced with other tools that have subtasks, such as Asana.

Issue type

When a Jira issue is created to match a task in another tool — like a Trello card — you can determine which issue type will be created by default.

Attachment streaming

You can stream Jira attachments, meaning anyone with the link can view the files without logging into Jira.

Copied attachments

Unito can copy attachments to and from Jira, meaning the entire file will be available in your Jira issue.

Issue numbers as prefixes

You can have a Jira issue number automatically added as a prefix in the work item it's synced to outside of Jira. Here's how to track issues in other tools by including the issue ID.

Rich text formatting

Unito translates rich text formatting between tools, keeping your task descriptions fully synced. However, there are some formatting options that are only partially translated from one platform to the other, while a few options are not supported entirely. Here is a list of formatting options that are preserved when syncing Jira issues:

  • Headings (levels 1 through 6)

  • Bold

  • Underline

  • Italic

  • Strikethrough

  • Hyperlinks

  • Unordered Lists

  • Tables

Watch a demo video

Here's a demo showing one of our product specialists syncing data between Jira and ServiceNow:

Follow along with this step-by-step Jira ServiceNow tutorial.

Necessary permissions for non-OAuth2 connections

If you connect Jira via OAuth2, you can skip all the steps outlined below.

Jira Cloud OAuth2

Otherwise, follow these instructions if you're using an API token or OAuth 1:

  1. Before connecting Jira to Unito, you'll need to set your Atlassian email contact visibility to anyone.
    Setting Jira contact email visibility for Unito
  2. You'll also need to configure Jira for Unito access.

If you get stuck on setting up permissions schemes in Jira, you can find a guide here.

Authentication and considerations for on-premise

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • We need Admin permissions, application link setup, and public email visibility on Jira settings for authentication. If you use an embedded version of our Jira integration, you can bypass the application link setup.

  • In order for on-premise Jira accounts to connect to Unito, it needs to be accessible via the internet. If that isn't the case, please read our guide to on-premise installations to set this up, or contact us if you’re not sure how to proceed!

OAuth Scopes

Read

View, browse, and read information from Jira.

Write

Create or edit content in Jira, but not delete content.

Limitations of Unito's Jira integration

We’re constantly looking to better support Jira’s growing list of features, fields, and use-cases. Here are a few common limitations you should be aware of:

  • Sprint syncing: Unito can only sync active sprints associated with a board and a project.
  • Next-gen projects: Sprint value mapping is not yet supported in Next-Gen projects.
  • Unsupported fields:
    • People and Select list (multiple choice) custom fields are not currently supported.
  • URL fields: Jira will block the creation of an item if the input is not a valid URL.

  • Custom label fields: These are string fields, so they're not configurable in Unito. That means you won't be able to sync them to some tools.
  • Cascading select field: If syncing to a text field, we will sync all cascaded options. If syncing to another select field, Unito only syncs to the parent options.
  • Initiatives: Unito can sync content within initiatives, but not the initiatives themselves as parent tasks.

  • Permissions: Initial connection requires Jira admin permissions; subsequent flows need project-level admin access.

  • Time spent field: Unito can only increase the value of Jira's "Time Spent" field, since the amount is always incremental. The field it is mapped to will be able to update it as long as its value is greater than the current time spent in Jira.
  • Linked issues: Linked issues are not currently supported.

Related articles

Start syncing Jira to your other apps and tools

Here are several tool-specific guides and resources to help you connect Jira projects with other apps and tools supported by Unito:

Got feedback? Submit a Unito feature request to let us know what you'd like to see in the next update to our Jira integration.