Can Jira Align be integrated with 2 or more instnaces of Jira?

[Vinay Sharma]

Is it possible to connect 2 or more Jira Instances (On-prem or Jira Cloud) to Jira Align? Is there any limitation on maximum number of Jira Instances, which can be integrated with 1 instance of Jira Align? 

[Rich Sparks · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can connect Align to multiple Jira instances, whether they be Server, Data Center or Cloud versions.

In this case, you need a separate Jira connector for each instance you want to synchronize with Align. You can combine data from the multiple instances into one single program or view them all separately. I worked with one client that had an Agile Release Train with the teams spread across 3 separate Jira instances, each with their own security restrictions. 

We used 3 Jira connectors to bring the data into a consolidated view, shown below.

[Colin Weaver]

For anyone reading this, please be aware the information is out of date and we no longer support connecting Jira Projects from two different Jira Connectors into a single Jira Align Program. This is because sync issues were frequently seen in such a configuration

EDIT: we do support 2 or more different Jira Instances connecting to different JA  Programs with the Jira Connector you just can't connect them to the same JA program

[Matthias Gaiser _K15t_]

If you need such a solution, you may want to consider an issue sync app which can sync all required issues into one instance and connect your Jira Align to that.

[Rich Sparks]

For folks who are interested in this question: back in 2020 when this question was asked, Jira Align did support programs in different instances. However, we found there could be data synchronization issues, especially because Jira does not support the parent link across different Jira instances.

Instead, the solution is to use an issue synchronization app as @Matthias Gaiser _K15t_  suggests. In that case, you can set up a separate project to be included in the Jira Align program and use the synchronizer to take care of moving the data from the source into the copied version.

I will add an updated article to explain this and include diagrams.

THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM WHETHER JIRA ALIGN ALLOWS YOU TO CONNECT TO MULTIPLE INSTANCES!

Jira Align definitely allows you to connect to multiple Jira instances. But there are special considerations that have to be addressed when a single Jira Align program/ART/Team of Teams has teams with data in different Jira instances.

[Matthias Gaiser _K15t_]

Thank you for the clarification @Rich Sparks. Let me know if you want to get some help or a review of the issue sync parts of your article.

[Clare Chawke]

Hello @Rich Sparks Thank for your post. Can you please provide details on how Jira Align does connect to multiple jira instances.

We have multiple Jira on Cloud jira instances/sites with multiple projects in each instance. We are investigating the possibility of having one Jira Align sitting on top and connecting to multiple Jira on Cloud instances. The aim is to have co-ordinated strategy and planning in a central location and link down to delivery items in different jira instances.

I'm currently unsure if this is possible or not with Jira Align.

[Rich Sparks]

@Clare Chawke Jira Align synchronizes information with Jira via the Jira Connector. One Jira Align instance can have many Jira Connectors running at the same time. 

I work with one customer that has 10 separate Jira instances, with their Jira work items (epics and stories) integrated into Jira Align. In this case, all the Jira instances are on Data Center, but it can work just as well with a mix of Data Center and Cloud sites.

The only limitation in this is that each Jira Align Program (or Team of Teams or Scrum of Scrums - a group of teams that plans and delvers together) must be in the same Jira instance or site. However, a Jira Align Portfolio (a group of 1 to many Programs) can be spread across different instances. So if you want to have coordinated strategy and planning - with consistent views and visibility into the work being done across different Jira instances - you can do that with Jira Align.

There's a whole series of "Best Practices" articles in Community. One is here: https://community.atlassian.com/forums/Jira-Align-articles/Jira-and-Jira-Align-Integration-Issue-Best-Practices/ba-p/1907851

It is useful to remember these best practices apply within each Jira instance. You may have different configurations in each Jira instance, then they're brought together in Jira Align.