Upgrade from DVCS and supercharge your workflow with GitHub for Jira

[#1]

The must-have upgrade for enterprise teams on Jira Cloud

DVCS Connector will be sunset on Mar 31, 2024 for Jira Cloud customers. We strongly encourage you to upgrade to GitHub for Jira to avoid any interruptions and take full advantage of its benefits. (You can start upgrading today: GitHub for Jira | Atlassian Marketplace, and follow instructions: Integrate Jira Software with GitHub Enterprise Server | Atlassian Support )

DVCS will continue to work as it is for Jira Server and Data Center customers.

A few years ago, we set out to build a more powerful and user-friendly Jira and GitHub integration with improved performance, greater reliability, and an easier installation process. We built it on a new tech stack and made it open-source, allowing for future improvements from the community.

This year, we are thrilled to announce that GitHub for Jira serves over 130,000 Jira Cloud customers and supports both GitHub and GitHub Enterprise Server. As we have made significant improvements to the app’s performance, features, and capabilities, are therefore ready to say goodbye to the DVCS Connector on Jira Cloud.

In this post, we will highlight the advantages of integrating Jira Software with GitHub Enterprise Server using the legacy DVCS Connector versus the new and improved GitHub for Jira app. We will also guide you through the upgrade process, outline the timeline, and help you access support if needed.

What’s the difference between DVCS and GitHub for Jira

GitHub for Jira offers everything DVCS does plus faster synchronization, expanded entity support, next-level automation, data-driven reports and insights, more robust security, and easy branch creation from Jira. It also offers a much faster and simpler installation process.

Feature	DVCS Connector on Jira Cloud	GitHub for Jira
Synchronization speed	5-20 minutes	5-10 seconds
Supported Entities	Commits  PRs Branches Deployments Builds	Commits PRs Branches Deployments Builds (coming soon!)
Jira automation	Not supported	GitHub  GitHub Enterprise Server
Reports and insights	Not supported	Deployment frequency  Cycle time reports
Security measures	Requires allow-listing IP ranges	API key pre-authorization for reverse proxies and API gateways (Learn more)
Create branches in Jira	Not supported	Write access

	Faster synchronization: Time is money! GitHub for Jira syncs data in seconds, while DVCS takes minutes—sometimes up to 20 minutes. This is because DVCS uses a ‘pull’ model, where Jira periodically contacts GitHub APIs to fetch new data, while GitHub leverages a more efficient ‘push’ model, where GitHub sends data to Jira whenever changes occur.
	Next-level automation: Using Jira automation, you can now integrate seamlessly with both GitHub and GitHub Enterprise Server, so your team can automate manual tasks in their workflow and concentrate on delivering top-notch code.
	Data-driven reports and insights: Make data-backed decisions with cycle time and deployment frequency reports. By syncing deployment data, your team can pinpoint, monitor, and optimize development bottlenecks and efficiencies, no longer reliant on instincts and opinions.
	Effortless branch creation from Jira: Streamline your workflow with GitHub for Jira’s ability to create GitHub branches directly from Jira tickets. This convenient feature is not available with DVCS, making GitHub for Jira a more versatile option for your team.
Expanded entity support: Empower your team with better visibility through GitHub for Jira's support for an extensive range of GitHub entities, including commits, PRs, branches, and deployments. DVCS, on the other hand, does not support deployments, limiting your team's insights.	Security of connecting your GitHub Enterprise Server with GitHub for Jira just got better! Learn more about this security release. Robust security measures: Safeguard your data with GitHub for Jira's support for API key pre-authorization for reverse proxies and/or API gateways. This eliminates the need for less secure measures like allow-listing IP ranges, required when using DVCS.

Are there any limitations, costs, or drawbacks to GitHub for Jira?

No. The new GitHub for Jira app is free and it works identically to the DVCS Connector, with added functionality. It will, however, take 5-10 minutes to install and configure the app for your site.

When will the DVCS Connector be deprecated?

The DVCS Connector for GitHub Enterprise Server will no longer be supported as of Mar 31, 2024, allowing ample time for the transition.

How do I switch and start using GitHub for Jira?

To ensure a smooth transition, follow these instructions to Integrate with GitHub Enterprise Server.

What should I do if I face issues setting up GitHub for Jira?

• Facing issues with installation or syncing data? Raise an issue here

• Have an idea to improve the app? Share your thoughts here

• For any other issues, contact support.atlassian.com

In conclusion, GitHub for Jira offers a significant upgrade from DVCS, providing faster synchronization, enhanced automation, and more improved features to come. We encourage all GitHub Enterprise Server customers on Jira Cloud to switch to GitHub for Jira and experience its benefits. If you need assistance during the transition, our support team is here to help. Upgrade today and elevate your team's productivity!

(DVCS will continue to work as it is for Jira Server and Data Center customers.)

[Aron Gombas]

@Ryan Jiang  Note that the emojis in the comparison table are broken, which makes it very hard to read and use. You may want to fix it.

[Ryan Jiang]

@Aron Gombas Thanks for the comment! I have just removed it.

[Tuyn Doan]

Dear @Ryan Jiang & Team

Please support GitHub for Jira DataCenter, current only for Jira Cloud.


Thanks

[Ryan Jiang]

Hi, @Tuyn Doan Thanks for your reply!

For transparency, we'd like to support DC as well but given our resource constraints, it's not on our roadmaps.

That said, we have supported quite a few customers migrating from DC to Cloud, and they have been able to benefit from the GitHub for the Jira app and step away from DVCS.

Have your team considered switching to Cloud? Any chance that I can help connect you to a Cloud Migration team?

Thanks,

Ryan

[Uli Haas]

We are also using the DVCS Connector on almost all of our 20 JIRA instances. Due to size and security constraints it is impossible to migrate all of them to JIRA-cloud.

Will there be an alternative solution when DVCS Connector is not supported anymore?

[Ryan Jiang]

Hi @Uli Haas 

Thanks for reaching out!

I can understand how performance and security are the top priorities for our enterprise customers, and we are here to help.

We have just released several new improvements that address these concerns:

1. Security: we have recently released an API Key Pre-Auth solution for securely connecting GitHub Enterprise Servers behind firewalls, you can learn more about this in this post.

2. Performance: the team has been constantly improving the GitHub for Jira app's performance and experience. We have successfully onboarded some big enterprises with large volumes of GitHub repos and history (i.e. >10k repos with rich Git history), and we believe that we are ready for our enterprise customers to onboard.

Hope the above helps address your concerns! That said, I am interested to learn more about your constraints and use cases, please feel free to use this link book in a quick chat with me if you are interested.

Thanks,

Ryan

[Matt Perron]

@Ryan Jiang - Just to confirm, DVCS is being sunset for all Jira product offerings - server, data center, and cloud - correct?  And the only migration path Atlassian is providing for non-cloud offerings is to migrate to cloud?

[Ryan Jiang]

@Matt Perron Hi Matt,

DVCS is being sunset for just Cloud customers, it will continue to function for our server and data centre customers.

I will update the post to eliminate potential confusion here.

Thanks!

[Jeramy]

@Ryan Jiang - It's been a few months, but does Atlassian have any plans to bring GitHub for Jira to Data Center users? We'd rather not use the DVCS connector if possible. 

[Teodor Hoza]

Hi, I have a question about this, I have a DVCS connector set-up between Jira software Cloud and GitLab on premise.
The announcement says I need to upgrate to Git Hub, we do not use Git Hub.
What are my options here?

[Ryan Jiang]

@Teodor Hoza Hi Teodor, thanks for reaching out.

GitLab has their own Jira integration, which now supports GitLab on-prem with JSW, you could follow their instruction.

[Ryan Jiang]

@Jeramy Hi Jeramy, we don't have any confirmed plans at the moment to bring GH4J to Data Center users yet, that said, our Data Center team is actively maintaining the DVCS & Github connection experience.

Thanks.