How to call External (Non-JIRA) API from JIRA?

[David K]

Hey guys,

On certain trigger, like adding a new comment in JIRA Issue (Ticket), I would like to call an external API (non JIRA, some third party web app that has exposed API). 

How can I do this with JIRA? Is it possible via Script Runner? If so.. are there any examples?
I only found all examples related to inner JIRA APIs.

Thanks.

David

[josh]

I don't know what is possible in Script Runner, but I have done this with the built in Webhooks. Not all webhook targets are equipped to directly handle the payload however, and I have had to write intermediate scripts to process Jira's outbound calls and reformat them into the right format for 3rd party remote system.

I host the scripts that do this on the same webserver as Jira's reverse proxy. so the webhook target url is http;//localhost/automation/script1 etc.. but I'd like to eventually move that to some kind of serverless (AWS Lambda maybe).

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

It is possible in ScriptRunner, but only because you can use Groovy/Java to build REST calls.  Webhooks are often easier because you don't have to do all the code to generate and issue the calls.

[David K]

Yes, but for example, if I need to send newly added JIRA Comment to my Web App. Is it possible via Webhooks? Can you send content via Webhooks (like POST body)?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Yes, a webhook sends content - it pokes data at a url.   That is a very oversimplified way to put it, but I think it helps explain the basic concept of webhooks.

We can't actually tell you a lot more.  We have no information on what the other application's API is, what it is available over or what it expects.

[David K]

Hey Nic,

We want to send an update to our SOAR (Security Orchestration and Automation Response) tool whenever new comment is added to a certain JIRA Ticket, we want to update a case in SOAR. But the SOAR does not have any specific listener for such events, so I guess we will have to somehow 'hack' this feature to receive webhooks on SOAR.

Best,

David

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Hmm, it's a bit more difficult if the target system doesn't have a url based external API. 

If it doesn't accept REST/url based calls, then yes, you probably are looking more at using scripts to access it via whatever remote API it does have.  (Webhooks are really just "poke url")