Atlassian Forge Migration: Top 3 Benefits for Users

Are your Jira apps running slower than you’d like, or do you sometimes feel like you’re constantly battling glitches and downtime? Or perhaps you’re worried about the security risks of running third-party add-ons? Atlassian Forge is here to change the game. As Atlassian’s next-generation platform for building and running apps, Forge promises to take your favorite Jira and Confluence add-ons to the next level.

But what exactly does that mean for you as a user? In this article, we’ll dive into the top 3 benefits of migrating to Atlassian Forge. From faster performance and tighter security to future-proofing your apps, Forge is designed to make your workflow smoother, safer, and more efficient. Ready to learn how it can improve your Jira experience? Let’s get started!

Benefit #1: Enhanced Security

Forge is a cloud-native platform that is managed by Atlassian. This means apps run within Atlassian’s secure infrastructure, reducing the risk of vulnerabilities caused by third-party servers or misconfigurations.

Forge enables key trust features customers expect through a shared responsibility model, where security duties are divided between you and Atlassian. Atlassian manages the platform that hosts Forge applications, ensuring compliance and enforcing application permissions.

Source: https://developer.atlassian.com/platform/forge/shared-responsibility-model/

How Forge Improves Security

🔹 Built-in authentication & access control. Forge enforces strict security protocols, ensuring only authorized users can access app data.
🔹 No data egress risks – Since Forge apps run inside Atlassian’s cloud, data doesn’t leave the secure environment, eliminating exposure to external threats. All external threats will be disclosed to the user before installation/update, and not done without their knowledge.
🔹 Automatic compliance with Atlassian security standards. Apps built on Forge inherit the same security framework that protects Jira and Confluence.

Example

If your company manages highly sensitive project data in Jira, such as client contracts, financial projections, or internal roadmaps, with a traditional add-on hosted on external servers, there’s always a risk of security breaches. But with Forge, your add-ons operate inside Atlassian’s trusted cloud environment, drastically reducing potential threats and ensuring your data stays exactly where it belongs – securely within Atlassian. However, it’s the user’s responsibility to check for no “suspicious” external links during installation.

Benefit #2: Less Downtime – Reliable, Always-On Apps

Downtime is more than annoying – it can disrupt workflows, delay projects, and even lead to lost data. With Atlassian Forge, your favorite Jira and Confluence apps are more reliable and less buggy, thanks to a fully managed cloud environment that keeps them running smoothly.

Why Forge-Powered Apps Stay Online and Bug-Free

✔️ Built-in Redundancy – Forge runs on Atlassian’s cloud, meaning app performance isn’t dependent on external hosting providers that may experience outages.
✔️ Consistent Performance, Even During Peak Hours – Forge auto-scales resources to ensure apps remain stable and responsive, even when demand spikes.
✔️ Fewer Bugs – Because Forge apps run in a controlled Atlassian environment, they avoid compatibility issues and common third-party hosting problems that cause crashes and glitches.

Example

A team is wrapping up a sprint, and everyone is relying on a reporting add-on in Jira to finalize progress updates. On a traditional hosting setup, high traffic or a minor bug could cause slowdowns, errors, or even a temporary outage. But with Forge, apps are built within Atlassian’s secure, optimized framework, reducing bugs and ensuring a smooth, uninterrupted experience.

By migrating to Forge, you get fewer disruptions, fewer bugs, and a more reliable Atlassian experience – so you can focus on work, not troubleshooting.

Benefit #3: Data Residency – Control Where Your Data Is Hosted

When it comes to sensitive business information, data residency – the location where your data is stored – is a crucial consideration. With Atlassian Forge, you have more control over where your data is hosted, ensuring compliance with local data protection laws and company policies. However, if you use any external resources that provide data or a remote server, as in the case of security, it is not guaranteed. Users must check the data residency support for each app.

Why Data Residency Matters

🌍 Choose Your Data Location – Forge allows users to select where their data is hosted, giving you the flexibility to meet specific regulatory and compliance requirements.
🌍 Comply with Local Regulations – Whether you’re in the EU, the US, or another region, Forge’s data residency options help ensure compliance with laws such as GDPR, ensuring data stays within the region’s jurisdiction.

Example

If your team handles sensitive customer information under GDPR, you can opt to have your data stored within the EU to ensure full compliance. With Forge, you can manage and control where your data lives, eliminating concerns about violating data residency regulations or compromising security. However, the user must check whether the application supports the data residency.

Runs on Atlassian program

The Runs on Atlassian program helps customers identify Forge apps that ensure no data egress and support data residency-enabled storage. Eligible apps receive the Runs on Atlassian badge, signaling their compliance with key security and privacy standards – particularly beneficial for enterprise customers with strict data privacy requirements.

This program specifically addresses:

• Ensuring no data egress by default while providing customers with controls to manage egress risk through logs.
• Supporting data residency that aligns with the host product’s data residency policies.
• Offering a programmatic method for Atlassian to verify these requirements.

Atlassian Forge Apps List

The forge-apps.com website helps to identify apps that are currently built with Forge.

SaaSJet Apps that have already migrated to Forge

• Issue History for Jira – track all changes made to Jira issues in one place. View edit history and field modifications to improve visibility and auditing.
• Mentions Dashboard for Jira – view all mentions and tags in Jira from a single dashboard.
• Advanced Audit Log for Jira – record every critical change in your Jira system configurations.

Other SaaSJet apps, such as Smart Forms for Jira, Time Metrics Tracker, Google Maps for Jira, and Time in Status, are on track to complete the migration to Forge. 

Our developers about migrating to Atlassian Forge

Our developers from the Issue History team shared feedback about Forge from their perspective:

“Writing a new application on Forge without third-party integrations is a great experience. Forge handles all deployments, eliminating the need for DevOps involvement. The documentation is clear, well-supported, and you don’t need to worry about data residency or security issues, as these are managed for you. However, when integrating third-party services, the full value of Forge can diminish, depending on the integrations used.

Migrating an application from Connect to Forge remains a challenge. The storage options are limited compared to traditional databases, and there’s no robust data migration functionality. Additionally, Forge lacks Server-Side Rendering (SSR) as it doesn’t have a server, requiring the use of remote solutions or other workarounds. Not all AP functionality is available in @forge/bridge, and there is no comprehensive guide on how to replace AP functionality with @forge/bridge, which is a significant gap. The differences between triggers and webhooks also create issues, as the data they handle isn’t always the same, and not all cases are covered by triggers during migration. These are some of the nuances that make the transition tricky.”

Despite all the challenges, our team is dedicated to pushing forward with the migration process. By learning from these challenges, we aim to enhance our applications and ensure they deliver the best performance and user experience possible, all while keeping data security and privacy at the forefront.

Try our app to experience all Forge benefits

Future-Proof Your Atlassian Experience with Forge

Migrating to Atlassian Forge offers unmatched benefits for users looking to optimize their apps. From enhanced security to better performance and fewer bugs, Forge is designed to provide a more reliable, efficient, and secure experience. The seamless, automated updates and the ability to control where your data is hosted further ensure that your apps are always up-to-date, compliant, and ready for anything.