Jira-GitHub Integration
Tags: github, coding, devsecops, devops
Published: 2023-10-05 07:47:03

In the IT world, there is often a situation where many different solutions are combined into one complex and coherent system. It is no different in the case of GitHub and Jira. GitHub itself is a really well-equipped platform for creating not only software but also entire projects. Given that, we might start to wonder what we need Jira for? Let’s get to know these two products a little better and check if GitHub with Jira makes even sense.

## Gojira
Author’s error? Not really, because Gojira is the Japanese pronunciation of the well-known monster – Godzilla. And from this fictional character the name, Jira was “borrowed”. The creators behind this project wanted to highlight the character and purpose with the name itself. Some argue whether the name was actually derived from Godzilla, or whether it was Bugzilla, **a bug-tracking system developed by the Mozilla Foundation**. These are not unfounded arguments, as **Jira works thoughtfully similar to Bugzilla but is designed for different users** and has a different scope of operation. Coming back to Godzilla, it’s a monster (kaiju) that was very often presented as a protector of humanity, fighting with similar beasts of extraterrestrial origin. It will not be a significant abuse if I write that our famous Japanese monster looks for threats. This was the premise of the Jira tool at the beginning.

It is worth noting here that Jira is licensed and can be delivered as an on-premise product or as an application/service. Jira has been developed by Atlassian and just like Bitbucket, which is currently also being developed by them, has enormously evolved towards the DevOps platform. Jira has long since ceased to be just a platform for finding and analyzing bugs **but has now become a holistic tool to help teams manage their projects and work**.

It started as a set of small tools that together gave a convenient and easy-to-use bug tracking console. In comparison, it’s safe to say here that it’s no longer Jira’s primary goal. It’s worth mentioning that the creators currently are also constantly developing Jira in this area and do not forget about the roots. However, thanks to the implemented tools, such as an advanced workflow support system, thanks to which we get a list of errors in a clear and readable dashboard. We can, for example, automatically assign, and most importantly, filter and track them until they are eliminated.

In this arrangement, why do we need Jira in our projects on GitHub? In addition to the options as mentioned earlier for tracking and collecting information about errors, we get such opportunities as collecting all data on our projects. The most important thing, however, is that we can manage this data on our projects using very extensive and practical filters. This, in turn, means that we can share such data with, for example, clients and prepare comprehensive reports on the status of a given project.

## Jira and GitHub
Everyone knows GitHub, but the truth is, it’s not the only player in the distributed version control market. The question I am currently asking myself is whether I should write that GitHub or Bitbucket are version control systems, or… DevOps platforms. With a probability close to certainty, it should indeed be noted that the most popular players on the VCS market have evolved into solutions fully supporting programmers within the whole development process.

A perfect example of this is GitHub with Jira, which, as we have already established in this post, has long ceased to be just a tool for finding and managing errors. It has evolved more towards an external DevOps portal. Thanks to features such as task management, readable and transparent dashboards with automation and filtering options, we get a mighty portal for managing a given project.

When connecting Jira to GitHub, we have the option to opt for a third-party Jira GitHub integration solution that can provide unlimited flexibility and control for both sides of the connection. Or we need to obtain an integrator, and we can download it directly from the [Atlassian Marketplace](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1219592/github-for-jira?hosting=cloud&tab=overview) or from the [GitHub Marketplace](https://github.com/marketplace/jira-software-github). Contrary to appearances, this is quite essential information because it means that this integrator complies with all the policies of both companies.

## Integration
Even before the process of connecting GitHub to Jira, we need to know whether we will be linking to a [GitHub account or GitHub Enterprise](https://docs.github.com/en/get-started/learning-about-github/githubs-plans). In the first case, the whole integration involves installing the integrator mentioned above and passing its wizard. Of course, the entire process does not end there because we need to select “Get Started” on the Jira side, choose the “Add an Organization,” point to our GitHub account and click the “Install” button. **That’s all we need to integrate our GitHub account with Jira.**

## GitHub Enterprise
Connecting Jira to our [GitHub Enterprise account](https://gitprotect.io/blog/github-enterprise-server-overview/) is a bit more elaborate. Still, it really only requires generating an [OAuth access token](https://docs.github.com/en/apps/oauth-apps/building-oauth-apps/authorizing-oauth-apps) on the GitHub-side and adding it on the Jira side. After logging into our GitHub Enterprise account, go to “Edit Your Profile” and select “OAuth Applications.” The next step is to select from the “Developer Applications” tab “Register new Oauth application.” At this point, we need to fill in the data like Application Name, URL, and Callback URL, then click “Register Application.” It is important to remember not to close the tab in the browser and open a second one in which we will add the generated token to Jira.

On that other window, **after logging in to Jira, select “Settings” and go to “Products**.” It is essential to select “DVCS accounts” from the “Integrations” section of the side menu. We choose the “Link GitHub Enterprise account” option and fill in the necessary information, such as User Account, Host URL, Client ID, and Client Secret.

## Summarizing
Jira is a really spacious tool for managing all kinds of work, and, most importantly, thanks to very active development, it has become like an external DevOps portal that we can use not only with Bitbucket but also with GitHub and other services. Developers of Jira provide us with the opportunity to easily connect it to our projects on all popular platforms, including GitHub. Additionally, thanks to the [Atlassian Marketplace](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/categories/monitoring), we get over 3000 extensions to it. Thanks to the integration of GitHub with Jira, we get a comprehensive tool for storing, filtering, and analyzing data about our projects. An essential functionality of Jira is the ability to share this data, for example, in the form of reports for the client, etc. In each case and what system we would not use, the most important thing is to take care of a proven and safe backup – GitHub and [Jira backup](https://gitprotect.io/jira-backup.html) preferably available as one comprehensive solution. And this is where GitProtect.io comes to your aid.

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