How do you look for information about Altassian products and 3rd party apps?

[Zhenya Elfimova _Actonic_]

Hey guys,

It is a bit trouble for me. I sometimes do not understand where to search for information about Jira and how can I determine if a third-party add-on is required for my specific use case?

How do you usually proceed? Do you search information in Google, or do you check Community first? Do you ask AI in some cases?

Thank you in advance!

[John Johnson]

When I’m exploring new tools or looking for information about Atlassian products and third-party apps, I like to combine official resources with hands-on testing. The Atlassian documentation and marketplace are great starting points, but sometimes seeing a tool in action helps a lot.

For example, if you want to understand how a tool stresses or performs on your system, I recently came across volume shader, which lets you test and visualize GPU performance directly in the browser. While it’s not Atlassian-specific, it’s a neat way to benchmark and get a feel for how web-based apps or complex add-ons might behave on your device before integrating them.

[Charlie Misonne]

I agree: vendor documentation and community are a start.

But I usually end up with a shortlist of solutions and try them out to validate our exact requirements.

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

Hello @Zhenya Elfimova _Actonic_ 

For me the first (and most important) step is always to understand why you need something and what problem you’re solving. Otherwise you end up shopping for apps before you even know if Jira can already do it.

My usual approach looks like this:

Define the use case clearly
What’s the trigger, what’s the expected outcome, who are the users, and what’s the “must have” vs “nice to have”. Half of the time, once you write that down, the solution becomes obvious.

Check if it’s native first (Jira/JSM/Confluence)
I look for a built-in feature that gets me 80–90% there: automation, workflows, forms, assets, permissions, custom fields, issue layouts, etc. Native is always easier to maintain and upgrade.

Community next (real-life patterns)
Docs tell you what’s possible, Community tells you what actually works at scale. I search for the exact symptom / limitation and look for answers from people who’ve already hit the wall.

You have great and helpfull Community here :)

Then Marketplace
If it’s clearly not doable natively (or would be a fragile workaround), then I look for apps and I’m picky: support quality, update frequency, roadmap, permissions model, data residency, and whether we’re creating lock-in.

AI fits in as an accelerator, not the source of truth
I’ll use AI to summarize options or draft a design, but I still validate against docs and real examples especially for anything that touches security, permissions, or automations.

Best Practice:
If the requirement is simple and common = native first.
If it’s complex logic / UI extensions / heavy reporting = app might make sense.
But only after the “why and what” are clear.

[Zhenya Elfimova _Actonic_]

Dear @Arkadiusz Wroblewski ,

Cool! thank you very much! It helps me a lot :)

Also, do you try to find something on Google or look for tutorials on YouTube, or do you think this is a waste of time and that Documentation, Community, and Marketplace can help you better and faster?

[Arkadiusz Wroblewski]

Hello @Zhenya Elfimova _Actonic_ 

Thanks for the kind words.

If YouTube helps you, why not use it?

Google is essentially a search engine: it gives you links related to the topic you’re looking for, and there’s no “wrong” way to search for information.

What I’m trying to say is: of course there are best practices for security and for reviewing new apps you want to use. What’s crucial for us as admins is to understand our company’s needs and translate them into the right solutions.

Many Atlassian app developers focus on specific types of apps for example, K15t on documentation and Adaptavist on scripting. You’ll notice that quickly.

It's starting tricky when Apps have its own ” Deepness " and how far are you able use it with or without external help.

Atlassian provides the basics. Apps cover additional needs. As the old movie line says: “Pick wisely.” 🤗🤠

[David Nickell]

I have to say that I think the documentation from Atlassian has gotten much better over the recent years.  Here is the best place to start:  https://www.atlassian.com/resources

Even with all the resources available, it can still be hard to understand how everything ties together when it comes to Collections, Applications, Licenses, Features, and Templates. etc...

1. Here is a  link to a free tool I started (but intend to abandon) called the Atlassian Navigator.  It attempts to index  Collections and Applications along with a link to their descriptions and pricing.
2. Here is free tool I've shared a few times in the forum that indexes Marketplace plugins
3. Finally, I am a big proponent of using the REST APIs.  Even if you don't do coding, seeing the list of endpoints can you help you understand what is available "under the hood".  Here is a free REST API Browser I've created.

Now you may be wondering what's up with all the free tools?  Eventually (soon??) I hope to sell a Configuration tool that makes understanding your current configuration as well as a Status Report that centralizes you Project Data and stats.   but - no sales pitch here yet. 

Good luck !

[Kris Klima _K15t_]

Hi @Zhenya Elfimova _Actonic_ 

As has been said, a well defined use case will often drive where and what you look for.

I'm really a Confluence person but the principle is the same.

1. Define your use case.
2. Try native options.
   • think outside the box, using available tools and features as a proxy
   • try Community
3. If native options fail, I search the Marketplace
   • multiple queries (e.g. translation, localization, internationalization... )
   • read the app description - many are muddled with loose relationship to industry standard vocabulary.
   • check reviews
   • check documentation - bad / non existing docs is often a red flag - is it just an app or a serious product?
4. Testing selected apps on my private site (or in a sandbox)
   • I admit, it's probably easier on Confluence than in Jira, but a lot of apps get removed after 5 minutes.
5. Getting in touch with the vendor to verify I'm not doing anything stupid. The response is also a sign of how serious they are.
6. Once I have a shortlist, I'm looking for certifications (ISO, SOC2), contact details... anything that a Vendor Approval Process checklist might demand. I wanna be prepared for grilling by Legal, Finance, IT, etc.

You can ask AI but recently it recommended apps that don't exist or are DC/Server only.

TL;DR - actual testing and working with the vendor is an extremely important part. You test the app, test the vendor, test your use case.