Forge vs Custom Connect App

[Yatish Madhav]

Hi all

Please provide thoughts on uses of Forge apps vs private Custom connect apps?

(i thought I posted this previously but dont think I have) We have a private custom connect app that provides custom fields and allows for REST API calls via JWT token authentication that we use quite heavily for Jira and JSM (using an in-house PHP framework application)

I am wondering if I should switch to a Forge app or not... 

https://developer.atlassian.com/platform/forge/ 

vs 

https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/getting-started-with-connect/ 

Thoughts/Suggestions?

Thank you

 Yatish

[Aron Gombas _Midori_]

@Yatish Madhav It is possible to have a Forge app that connects to an external compute using the so-called Forge Remote. It means that you can keep your PHP logic, publish it through a REST API e.g., implement the front-end with Forge and connect the front-end to the back-end through Forge Remote.

This is a very sensible way to save some of the rewrite, IMO.

(Early January Atlassian announced that Connect will "slowly become" obsolete, so I would not start new or large projects with it.)

[Yatish Madhav]

Interesting! Thanks for the mention on Forge Remote ... i will be sure to look into that.

Yeah, i think a lot of the existing code is simply calling the REST APIs with JWT auth. That is the most key aspect which is why i am had this juggling conundrum.

I will keep experimenting with it. Thanks

[Nikola Perisic]

Hi @Yatish Madhav 

Forge itself is hosted by Atlassian, it has more options for the UI such as UI kit and the Custom UI. More and more users are going from Atlassian Connect to Atlassian Forge applications.

There is a guide for the migration here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ERk_V-oZcE

Forge:

• Forge uses streanlined authentication model that doesn't require the JWT token verification which is simplifying the app development
• Data is handled by Atlassian - you can apply the data residency if you are considered on how your data is being handled
• Forge offers 3 deployment environments: development, staging, production

[Yatish Madhav]

Great - thanks for that @Nikola Perisic  - i was just reading about all of that.

RE the coding aspect, since it requires knowledge on JS and NodeJS more specifically. I wonder if there will be any expansion on that to allow functions and logic from our app?

I ask only because I am, currently, most familiar with our current connect app implemented on a PHP framework and we host it anyways. 

RE the CLI, would the real world case be that we install forge and run the commands from our application server or local machines (we are 3 to 5 developers)?

[Nikola Perisic]

@Yatish Madhav 

Well, you would have to rewrite your application in NodeJS and JS. You would run the commands from your local machines with forge deploy option. Each time you deploy it, it will overrite the previous deploy. But this would require your team to enter forge deploy each time. Instead, you would use the forge tunnel command in order to do the changes in real time.

[Yatish Madhav]

Yeah, i understand that. But i mean in the case of the forge app deploy and changes come as and when needed. do each of the developers run the commands - even if they are not administrators on Jira? Or can we centralise it so that it runs for the prod Jira instance from our prod server and for a test Jira instance from our UAT server?

[Nikola Perisic]

You cannot run forge from your own servers. Connect apps do this. Also, developers runs the commands based on the API key despite needing to be an admin in Jira.

[Oliver Siebenmarck _Polymetis Apps_]

Quick clarification: While the default for Forge is that apps run on Atlassian's infrastructure, Forge Remote allows developers to build apps that run on their own servers.

In that way, they can act similarly to Connect apps, although they still are Forge apps. Basically, you can decouple the part of the app that you deploy with forge deploy from the remote backend that you run.

Having said that, I'd like to add another important point. While still some time away, Atlassian has announced that Connect support will come to an end in the future. So, depending on how long you'll want to keep your app running, you should keep that in mind. 

Finally @Yatish Madhav , in your specific case using custom field: There is no automated migration pathway from Connect to Forge for the data in your custom fields, even though you can add custom field with either framework. If you ever need to switch frameworks, that'll be an additional migration effort to keep in mind.

Anyway, hope that helps! 

Best regards,
 Oliver from Polymetis Apps

[Yatish Madhav]

Interesting. So are you saying, @Nikola Perisic , that any user on our instance is able to create and deploy Forge apps but generating an API token? I highly doubt it ... Our developers are not org admins - we want the app to only be installed and run as the org admin or a service account with that permissions.

[Nikola Perisic]

@Yatish Madhav  Forge doesn't specify what type of user you need to be. All you need to have is the API key that each user can generate. I am not aware of that inofrmation that you need to be the org admin nor to specify which users can create the application.

[Yatish Madhav]

Thanks a ton for that @Oliver Siebenmarck _Polymetis Apps_ - i was really dreading a response like that :D

We have around 30 fields created by our connect app currently with some having under 10 options while others have 100s of select options ... will need to put all our automation, integrations, processes out on the table to validate how big a change this will be if we switch to Forge ...

Thanks for that insight and that linked too. Much appreciated

[Yatish Madhav]

Another quick question - how does the announcement that you shared @Oliver Siebenmarck _Polymetis Apps_  after private custom connect apps? That is what we have that we have installed via the "Upload app" and paste the descriptor json URL. I am assuming you may be more aware of the impact - if not, I undrestand I may be digressing from this post slightly 

[Oliver Siebenmarck _Polymetis Apps_]

Hey @Yatish Madhav ,

There are two statements in that announcement that I would look at. First is this one:

Forge will become Atlassian’s only app development platform, and we will progressively phase out support for Connect over an extended period of time.

Which to me suggests that at some point in the future Connect will be no more. The other one is this one (emphasis mine):

When Connect integration points become incompatible with the future state of our products, they may be deprecated and become Forge-only. We will make these assessments on a case by case basis, and we do not plan to retire Connect as a whole at this stage.

Now, I don't work for Atlassian and I do not have any more insight than the next guy, but I would read this that Atlassian will likely sunset all of Connect at some undetermined point in the future. Looking at from the lens of someone who'll have to maintain an app, your big worry wouldn't be the end of Connect as a whole, but rather the question of when the features your app is using become incompatible. That moment might be much closer. 

Personally, I certainly wouldn't panic, but I would also look at how I could get my apps on Forge, no matter if they are private or public.

[Yatish Madhav]

I understand. Yeah, certainly not a panic point but thought provoking none the less.

I am reading as much as I can on Forge doccos right now as possible. Will need to get my hands dirty into it all as well real soon. 

Really appreciate the prompt replies and your thoughts, mate!