Introduction to Permissions in Jira
Overview
Permissions in Jira are critical for ensuring that users have the appropriate access to projects, issues, and functions they need to perform their roles effectively. Properly managing permissions helps maintain security and streamline workflows within the organization.
Types of Permissions
Jira permissions are categorized into several types:
- Global Permissions: These permissions apply to the entire Jira instance and affect what users can do across all projects.
- Project Permissions: These permissions control what users can do within a specific project.
- Issue Security Permissions: These permissions determine the visibility of issues within a project.
- Permission Schemes: These are templates that can be applied to multiple projects to standardize permissions.
Global Permissions
Global permissions are managed by Jira administrators and affect user capabilities across the entire Jira instance. Examples include:
- Jira Administrators: Users with this permission can perform administrative functions.
- Browse Users: Users with this permission can view other users and groups.
Example: Assigning the 'Jira Administrators' permission to a user group allows all members of that group to manage global settings.
Project Permissions
Project permissions determine what users can do within a specific project. These permissions are assigned through permission schemes and can include:
- Browse Projects: Ability to view the project and its issues.
- Create Issues: Ability to create new issues in the project.
- Edit Issues: Ability to modify existing issues.
- Transition Issues: Ability to move issues through workflow statuses.
Example: A developer might have permissions to browse projects, create issues, and edit issues, but not transition issues.
Issue Security Permissions
Issue security permissions control the visibility of issues within a project. These permissions are managed through issue security schemes, which allow you to define security levels that can be applied to issues.
Example: An issue security scheme might have levels such as 'Internal Only' and 'Public'. An issue marked 'Internal Only' would be visible only to users with the appropriate permissions.
Permission Schemes
Permission schemes are templates that define a set of project permissions. These schemes can be applied to multiple projects to ensure consistent permission settings. When a permission scheme is updated, all projects using that scheme inherit the changes.
Example: You might create a permission scheme called 'Default Scheme' that grants basic access to most users and apply it to all new projects.
Managing Permissions
Managing permissions involves several steps:
- Navigate to the Jira administration area.
- Select the type of permission you want to manage (Global, Project, Issue Security, Permission Schemes).
- Modify or create new permissions or schemes as needed.
- Apply the permissions or schemes to the appropriate users or groups.
Example: To create a new permission scheme, go to Jira Administration > Issues > Permission Schemes, click 'Add Permission Scheme', and configure the permissions as needed.