Cloning Old JIRA Users to New Confluence
Asked by Shane Monroe:

Our organization is slowly phasing out JIRA (we're still locally hosted on v6.4) and moving to another product, but we are keeping Confluence (also aged; v5.7.4). As part of this shift, we would like to move to the latest Confluence version (still running locally for now but with a possible shift to cloud in the future).

Currently, our JIRA is the "source of truth" for our user database. Confluence is using OAUTH against JIRA for its users. Users in JIRA are "local" users, not tied to LDAP or other user directories.

In some POC scenarios, I was able to successfully get our Confluence articles/data over to the new instance without any issue but this was when we were planning to keep and upgrade JIRA as well.

My goal is to set up a brand new, up-to-date Confluence server (no JIRA on it this time) and port over our content from the old Confluence server to the new one. Along with that, we want to break ties with JIRA from Confluence from a user perspective - but I would rather not lose the user data connected with Confluence (article authors, comments, etc).

Is it possible for me to "export" **user** data from *old* JIRA, bring it into *NEW* Confluence and have it seamlessly reconnect those now "local to Confluence" users to the articles and content previously authored by "local JIRA users" after we import the *OLD* Confluence data?

Kind of an esoteric request, I know. :) Appreciate anyone's thoughts and/or experiences in this endeavor.

Thank you!


Answers:
author: Ivan Lima
body: [@Shane Monroe](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/4218893), there are a couple of options you can handle this. Regarding export users from Jira and import them into the "new" Confluence, you can utilize apps to help you do the work (e.g., [Confluence CLI](https://bobswift.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/CSOAP/overview), among others). Alternatively, you could do a backup site export/import and get Confluence upgraded to the target version if you need to retire the existing one. If you can keep your current installation, you can also migrate users from the Jira directory to the Confluence internal directory - you would need some database manipulation since it's a feature that it's still gathering interest with Atlassian ([CONFSERVER-25630](https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/CONFSERVER-25630)). Some options require additional work but less risky. It's essential to understand the pitfalls you may come across in each approach. I would advise going through the Atlassian documentation to understand what entails moving your spaces/sites between instances and, mainly, the type of problems you can get, such as duplicate users and how to fix/merge them. Perhaps, getting a better sense of the hurdles you might find helps you decide the approach to choose in light of your current migration expertise and experience.

You might have known that by now, but it's worth mentioning that Atlassian ended sales for new server licenses and will end support for server products on February 2, 2024. If you haven't done it yet, as you're now studying your move options, you can also consider beginning your [Cloud journey](https://www.atlassian.com/migration) if you feel ready.

Some related links that may help you to explore and learn more.

* [Migrating Confluence Between Servers](https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/migrating-confluence-between-servers-184150.html)
* [Export Content to Word, PDF, HTML and XML](https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/export-content-to-word-pdf-html-and-xml-139475.html)
* [Restoring a space](https://confluence.atlassian.com/doc/restoring-a-space-152036.html)
* [Merging user accounts in Confluence - Local and External Directories](https://confluence.atlassian.com/confkb/merging-user-accounts-in-confluence-local-and-external-directories-935900008.html)
* [Migrate Users and Groups from JIRA or Crowd Directories to a Locally Managed Directory](https://confluence.atlassian.com/confkb/migrate-users-and-groups-from-jira-or-crowd-directories-to-a-locally-managed-directory-310379615.html)

Cheers.

comments: author: Shane Monroe
body: Thank you so much. I have a good place to start now.

Sigh, and yes ... I see 2021 being "The Year of the Confluence Cloud" for us.

:)


author: Ivan Lima
body: Hi Shane, no problem. I'm glad it helped!

IL.


Tags: confluence-server

jira

server

user