How to create a public JIRA board/form where anyone can submit bugs or requests?

[Inês Reis]

Hi,
I would like to create an open JIRA board where external users can submit bugs or feature requests. Ideally, I want to share a link that anyone can access to submit an issue without needing to log in.

Is this possible in Jira Service Management?
Do external users always need an Atlassian account, or is there a way to accept anonymous submissions through a form or portal?

Any guidance on the right setup or best practices would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[Artem Taranenko]

Since you've mentioned JSM, my answer is specific to that: You can configure an email handler to create work items based on received emails. Users don't have to be authenticated, so any email sent to the designated mailbox will become a work item in JSM. Submitter can get a confirmation of receipt too.

The limitation of the above method is submission quality. You will probably get a lot of poorly formed requests which will require repeat communication with the submitter.

You can create a customer portal with appropriate submission forms and make it public. Users will need to specify their email to submit a work item. If your forms are well designed, that should improve quality of submitted requests.

[Inês Reis]

Hi @Artem Taranenko thank you, would you have documentation on how to do that, please? Thanks, 

[Artem Taranenko]

Here's the official reference for both options, although I still think portal is the way to go.

Mail handler: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/docs/receive-requests-from-an-email-address/

Portal: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/docs/set-up-and-manage-portal-access/

[Olha Yevdokymova_SaaSJet]

Hi @Inês Reis 
There are a few ways to get close to this in Jira Cloud, depending on how “public” and how “anonymous” you need it to be.

Jira Service Management portal (external users, but not anonymous)

With Jira Service Management (JSM) you can expose a customer portal where external users submit requests:

• They don’t need a paid Jira license.

• They do need to identify themselves with an email address (JSM creates a “customer” account for them).

• You can control which request types appear, and route them to the right queues.

This is great when you want a controlled, authenticated experience and a history per customer.

 Native public forms in Jira Cloud (no Jira login required)

Jira Cloud now has public forms that you can share via a link from a software or business space:

• Access levels:

  • Limited – only people who can create work items in the space

  • Open – anyone who can log in to the Jira site

  • Public – anyone online with the link can submit the formAtlassian Support

• Every submission is converted into a work item in that space (issues still land on your board / list).Atlassian Support

• For public forms, Jira requires:

  • A default reporter (used as Reporter on the work item)

  • A mandatory email address field for the submitter; this email is stored as a comment on the work itemAtlassian Support+1

  • reCAPTCHA protection to reduce spam/botsAtlassian Support

  • Some fields (assignee, labels, team, sprint, etc.) are hidden for security reasonsAtlassian Support+1

So for your use case — “share a link that anyone can access to submit an issue without needing to log in” — public forms are now the native way to do this. They don’t see the board itself, but their form will create a work item that shows up on your board.

Basic setup:

1. Create a form in your Jira space (e.g., “Bug / Feature Request”).

2. Set access to Public.

3. Configure a default reporter + required email (Jira will prompt you for this).

4. Share the link on your website, docs, or in-app.

5. Each submission becomes a work item in that space, which you can triage on a board.

 If you need more flexibility → Smart Forms for Jira

If you outgrow native forms (for example: attachments, advanced logic, cross-project routing, or more controlled external workflows), another approach you can consider is Smart Forms for Jira (developed by my team). It’s designed specifically for public intake:

• Public forms with no Jira login required, similar to native public forms.

• Automatic work item creation in any Jira project (JSM, Software, Work Management, JPD), with full field mapping.Atlassian Community Atlassian Community

• Field-level conditional logic (show/hide fields based on answers), handy for cleaner bug/feature request flows.Atlassian Community

• Embedding on websites, Confluence, or help centers, plus QR-code style sharing.Atlassian Community

The typical pattern is:

1. Public Smart Form → creates a Jira work item with mapped fields (Summary, Description, Priority, Product area, etc.).

2. Jira Automation → labels, routes, assigns, or sends confirmation emails.