Managing Jira and Confluence users from Jira
Asked by Michael Rex:

I setup a Confluence server a couple of weeks back and there are 4 users. This week, I setup a Jira Core 7.7.1 and am now trying to connect them so that User Management can all be done from the Jira server. I followed the instructions here: <https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/connecting-to-crowd-or-jira-for-user-management-229838465.html> That appears to be successful, in terms of passing tests. In Jira, if I create a new user, I can assign to confluence and jira user groups, and can login to both sites. However, for the users that were created on Confluence, I am able to add them into confluence and jira groups, but it seems the Jira server doesn't know about these users when I try and login to the Jira server as that confluence made user. Does this mean the pre-Jira created users in local Confluence can only ever work on Confluence and will need to be deleted and made again in Jira? Is there a way to migrate them or have the Jira server see them? Could I just change the Permissions from Read-only to Read/Write? Thanks in advance!


Answers:
author: AnnWorley
body: Hi Michael,

I am glad there are only a few users in the internal Confluence directory that need to be migrated to the Jira external directory because there is no way to migrate users between the two directories. If you create them in Jira with the same user names Confluence will "see" them as the same users and associate their content (avatar, personal space, etc) with them. There is no way to migrate the paswords

Setting the Jira user directory in Confluence to read/write will allow you to make changes to that user directory from either application but will not sync users from the Confluence internal directory to the Jira external user directory.

I do not recommend deleting any users from the internal Confluence directory until you have verified that their Jira accounts are working as expected. To make sure the user that is logged in is the one from the Jira user directory, you may check the user directory displayed in User Management in Confluence:

![charlie.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/16801iD928B0D3D764C8B4/image-dimensions/372x275?v=v2 "charlie.png")

Please let me know if I left anything unclear, we are here to help. :)

Thanks,

Ann

comments: author: Michael Rex
body: Ann,

Thanks for your reply. It seems it was a waste of time to setup Jira user management after already setting up Confluence. I wish the Confluence setup instructions didn't say you can connect Jira after and instead made it crystal clear that you should set up that way from the start. That was very misleading. I would have taken the time to setup Jira beforehand had I known this wasn't a workable path. This language needs to change, IMO. You do not want to give the impression this is a supported path when it leads to dead end.

Since existing users have Confluence content, I can't delete the users and now must deal with having two accounts and still having the additional confusion of multiple managers without any single manager benefit. \*ugh\* What a waste of time.

I would strongly suggest changing the setup wizard to not imply you can connect Jira management afterwards without severe limitations and should strongly suggest the user setup Jira first.

Regards


author: AnnWorley
body: Hi Michael,

I think it may have been my explanation that was misleading. It isn't necessary to delete the existing Confluence users, and you can manage them from Jira only (single manager).

If you create users in Jira with the same usernames as the users in the Confluence internal directory, and place the Jira User directory higher in the list of User Directories in Confluence, you can manage those users from Jira and Confluence will associate their existing content with them. For details on how to change the order of the user directories and all the effects of doing so, please see [Configuring the Directory Order](https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/managing-multiple-directories-229838494.html#ManagingMultipleDirectories-ConfiguringtheDirectoryOrder)

Thanks,

Ann


author: AnnWorley
body: Hi Michael,

To use Jira to manage Confluence users, Confluence has to be set up in Jira under Jira User server as in your screen shot then Confluence has to have a User Directory set up to sync users from Jira. Detailed instructions are on this page you linked: [Connecting to Crowd or Jira for User Management](https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/connecting-to-crowd-or-jira-for-user-management-229838465.html)

Users in the Confluence Internal directory will not be synchronized to Jira, but they can still access Confluence. [Managing Multiple Directories](https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/managing-multiple-directories-229838494.html) has a lot of good information.

[Application Links](https://confluence.atlassian.com/applinks/application-links-documentation-165120834.html) are not related to user management.

Please let me know any follow up questions or anything we can help with.

Thanks,

Ann

comments: author: Fadoua
body: [@AnnWorley](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/502040)I completely forgot that under JIRA we have App Links. I asked the user to click on the Application Link (meaning the link) which was misleading.

Thank you for clarifying!


author: AnnWorley
body: No problem! Thanks for all your contributions to the Community. :)


author: Fadoua
body: :)


author: Michael Rex
body: [@AnnWorley](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/502040)
> Users in the Confluence Internal directory will not be synchronized to Jira, but they can still access Confluence. Managing Multiple Directories has a lot of good information.

To restate my problem, I want to have the Confluence created users access Jira. So far, it sounds like I cannot. You just confirmed what my understanding was. My questions in the first post was trying to get around that.

So in my case where I made Confluence before Jira, should I just delete the users in Confluence and remake them in Jira so they can have 1 account for accessing both? The pages you linked to indicate not to have duplicate usernames in different directories, so I believe that is the only solution. It doesn't make sense to have two different usernames for each user, that'll just annoy people.

If I delete a user in Confluence, is there any limitations that would prevent recreating the same username in Jira? Then the user just needs to set their password again and its all good?

Is there a way I can just copy the passwords from Confluence to Jira so the user doesn't have to sign up again? This isn't a major pain point, there's only 4 users, just if its simple and doable, I'd do it.

Thanks


author: Fadoua
body: Hi Michael,

If I am getting it right, you can not create users in Confluence and expect them to access JIRA. It can be done with JIRA but not the other way.

JIRA can be used as Users Management System but not Confluence.

I hope this helps little bit


author: Fadoua
body: Morning Michael,

My bad, the following is the screen I was asking for:![Application Access.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/16565iC8EB31204A3A1E96/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Application Access.png")


author: Fadoua
body: Hi Michael,

Can you please send a screenshot from your Application Link under JIRA?

comments: author: Michael Rex
body: Do you mean from Applications-\>Application Links?

(There is nothing there)

Or from User Management-\>JIRA user server? (Configure other Applications)

127.0.0.1 would be the Jira server, the 172.x IP is confluence.

Thanks!

![Screenshot 2018-03-06 19.27.24.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/16532i8BC0219A186D3733/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screenshot 2018-03-06 19.27.24.png")


author: Michael Rex
body: Ok, so I followed the instructions [here](https://nuumsolutions.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/PGPD/pages/950281/1.2.+Adding+an+application+link+between+your+JIRA+and+Confluence+instance) to make the link in Jira, but Jira still doesn't see the Confluence made users in Jira user management. I tried making the link both ways from Jira, with and without the checkbox "++The servers have the same set of users and usernames++ ".

Please confirm. Does this mean the pre-Jira created users in local Confluence can only ever work on Confluence and will need to be deleted and made again in Jira?

Thanks!

![Screenshot 2018-03-06 21.53.05.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/16537iE38E09EA2EB1C5D5/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Screenshot 2018-03-06 21.53.05.png")


Tags: jira-core

user-management