Overview
Visor currently supports integrations with Jira Cloud and Jira Server instances. Integrating with a Jira Cloud instance is done using the self-service flow built into Visor. Integrating with Jira Server will require you to submit a support ticket to our team. This guide covers the integration steps with Jira Server.
The Visor Jira Integration is built using the Jira REST API version 2. Please ensure API access is enabled on your instance. While unlikely, it is also possible that certain firewall settings may be necessary to allow Visor to access your Jira Instance. (Your Jira Administrator will be able to confirm.)
Step 1: Create a Jira “Bot Account” for Visor to use
Jira enables plugins like Visor to access and change data using any valid username/password pair. It is common practice for Jira Administrators to create a special user account for plugins like Visor. These accounts are often called “Integration Users” or “Bot Accounts.”
To get started, ask your Jira Administrator to create a new user account for Visor on the Jira instance you wish to connect. Ensure that the newly created user account has API access enabled and that it has the necessary permissions to read or write data in the Jira Projects you would like to work with in Visor.
When Visor changes data in your Jira Instance (e.g. by you syncing a change), Jira will show this change as being made by the Bot User. If you have questions about which Visor user made certain changes that the Bot User applied to Jira, that information is stored in Visor.
Checklist for this step:
- Create Bot User for Visor
- Ensure Bot User has API access
- Ensure Bot User has access to projects you plan to work with in Visor
- Take note of the Bot User credentials to share securely with the Visor support team
Step 2: Provide the Jira instance URL and “Bot User” credentials to the Visor support team
Visor needs to know the “Instance URL” for your Jira server. This is the web address Visor will use to connect to your Jira instance. Typically, this is just the web address of the Jira instance you log into. Your Jira Administrator can provide this if you have any questions. It may look like the following:
For example, you may see something like this at the bottom of your Jira pages:
Atlassian Jira Project Management Software (v7.12.1#712002-sha1:609a505)
In this case, the Jira software version is 7.12.1.
Checklist for this step:
- Provide the Jira Instance URL, Software Version, and Bot User Credentials to the Visor support team via a secure means. You can submit a support ticket to schedule a secure handoff via encrypted video call: email support@visor.us to begin.
Step 3: The Visor support team connects your Visor account to your Jira Instance
Once the Visor support team receives your Jira User Credentials and Jira Instance URL from Step 2, the internal Visor credential locker will be updated with your authentication information.
After this step is complete, the Visor team will contact you to let you know your Jira Instance is ready to be tested.
Checklist for this step:
- Run a test import to ensure the integration was successful