Any tips on moving from Server-based to Cloud based Jira / Confluence WITHOUT the cloud assistant?

Question

Hi there everyone,

I am trying to move my companies documents from our Jira server to the Cloud. So far, it's very slow-going as I'm doing everything manually and it's fairly time consuming. I have tried to install the Cloud Assistant, but I fear our server is far too out-dated. Does anyone know of an alternative to the cloud migration assistant that works well? Any help would be appreciated.

Trudy P Claspill · Answer

Hello @Grayden Donald

You mention in your response to @Aaron Pavez _ServiceRocket_ that you get an error trying to install CCMA.

Let us first clarify one point.

There is a migration assistant app for Jira and a separate migration assistant app for Confluence. Their acronyms are JCMA and CCMA respectively.

Next, can you clarify some points about your environment?

* What is your Jira version? Is that for Jira Core/Software? Do you also have Jira Service Management?
* What is your Confluence version?
* Does each app have its own server on which it is hosted, or are they installed on the same server?

Next, can you tell us on which system, Jira or Confluence, you are experiencing errors trying to install the migration assistant app? And can you confirm that you are installing the migration assistant app that is appropriate for the Atlassian application you are hosting on that server?

What is the specific error you get when trying to install CCMA? The newest version of CCMA is supported for Confluence Server v7.8.0 as per the information found in the documentation below, so you should not be experiencing an unsupported version error.

https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1219672/confluence-cloud-migration-assistant/version-history

If you are experiencing more struggle than you wish to contend with, you may want to consider engaging an Atlassian Solution Partner that specializes in Cloud Migrations.

https://partnerdirectory.atlassian.com/?f_solutions=cloud-migration

Disclosure: I work for Praecipio, an Atlassian Platinum Solution partner. Cloud Migrations are one of our specializations.

Aaron Pavez _ServiceRocket_ · Answer

Hi @Grayden Donald

If you havent found the why in the logs, reach out to Atlassian for help.

Do you see any errors in the logs? Mark the logs, try to install it again and share with us the error.

You could also try this:

https://support.atlassian.com/migration/kb/how-to-install-a-specific-version-of-the-confluence-cloud-migration-assistant/

Regards - Aaron

Mike Hogan_g8c157 · Answer

Hey there, moving attachments from Jira Server to Cloud can definitely be a slow grind, especially if you are stuck doing it manually. Been there, and it is about as fun as copy pasting sticky notes one by one.

If the Cloud Migration Assistant (CMA) is not working, your Jira Server version might be too old to support it properly. In that case, the most reliable path is to upgrade your Jira instance (even temporarily) to a supported version, then use CMA to migrate everything — including attachments, projects, and users.

If an upgrade is not possible, attachments will need to be handled separately. CSV exports only handle issue data, not attachments, so to move files you will need to use the Jira REST API or custom scripts to extract them from your server and upload them into Cloud. It takes some setup, but it is a commonly used workaround when CMA is not an option.

Or, hear me out, this might be the perfect time to hire a summer intern and pitch it as a “deep dive in enterprise data migration strategy.” Throw in snacks and a Jira Cloud badge and you are golden. Good luck!