How to create read only access for an user?

Question

I honestly read every article in the official help page and in the forum and  watched every related video on this topic. Still, I can not produce the desired effect, which is to give certain user, a read-only access to our project in JIRA (which by the way, seems and it should be a very simple task!).

By read-only, I mean the user must not be able to edit, create, comment, etc.

The steps I have undertaken:

1. Created a group for read-only users (Read Only) and have added read-only users to the group (in this case only one of the already created users)

2. In the User Administration at Application access, I enabled Can sign in for the new group

3. I removed the read-only user from all other 'internal' groups such as the default 'jira-users' group, so only jira-read only group has been left

4. I created a Project Role called Read Only and added the group to it

And now the the most confusing for me part:

5. I added the Read Only Role to the project's default Software Permissions scheme

6. I granted permissions to Browse Projects permissions (from the forum I see that this is what users recommend for read-only access) to the Read Only project role

I also tried all kinds of other steps that I found in videos and forums.

Still, every time that I log-in as this user, which is only added to group 'jira-read only', I can edit, comment, create and etc.

When I try the permissions helper and put the user and for example Edit Issues permission name,  I get that this user has the edit issues permissions, although he/she are only added to read-only group (for which I have taken all the described in the help page and forums steps to be accurately active)

Please help.

P.S No one should waste hours of their time just to create a read only access! Also, much of the information in the help pages in not up to date and detailed enough.

Thank you in advance!

Maggie

Mindance · Answer

In case anyone finds this and needs more detailed instructions:

https://community.atlassian.com/t5/New-to-Jira-articles/How-to-give-a-user-read-only-access-to-a-single-project-and/ba-p/1010143

That being said while it should work, it didn't for me. Currently waiting for a reply on my support ticket...

Walter Buggenhout · Answer

Best practice would be to use Project roles for this. By default, Jira offers a set of predefined roles, but you can extend this to match your organisation's needs (for more info, see Atlassian documentation).

Next, you would assign groups (or individuals in rare and exceptional cases) to those roles at project level. Just make sure to exclude your read only users from all edit functionalities.

It might even be a good idea to create a Read Only Role you can then use in your Permission Schemes instead of the Read Only group. It will add more flexibility to your project permissions management in the long run.

FAteam · Answer

Dear, Walter,

Thank you for your replay.

To what do you recommend to change the permission settings for the Edit Issue, etc.?

Also, if I change it and restrict it, will this not influence the other users permissions to edit, comment, etc.?

Thank you and regards,

Maggie