How to access all issues and projects using the Jira Cloud REST API?

[Rithvik K]

I am building a third-party app which will have an overview of all issues and projects in jira. I would like to access all projects and issues using the REST api. Right now, afaik, the api calls are being at a user level, so the access to issues/projects is based on the user's permission to view the particular issue. Is there any admin level apis I call?

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

Admin rights do not mean "can see/do anything", you can have admins who can't see any issues at all.  

You should carry on using a standard user account for this, but maybe a dedicated one that you can give "browse project" to in all projects.

[Rithvik K]

Thanks for answering! Are api calls always made on behalf of a user? Is there a way I can make anonymous api calls which have access to all projects using an api token etc?

[Oliver Siebenmarck _Polymetis Apps_]

Hi @Rithvik K ,

With Jira Cloud, API calls are always made authenticated, ie on behalf of a user. There is no general Jira API token with an all-areas-pass.

However, people still want to build apps & integrations, so how to manage permissions? I've seen three ways how people work this in practice:

Functional User Accounts

As @Nic Brough -Adaptavist- suggested, create a dedicated user account for your app/integration and provide it with all the required permissions within Jira. This has the benefit of being easy to do and using the permissions Jira admins already know.

DIY Connect / Forge Apps

You might also built a custom app that can be installed into Jira itself just for your specific use case. Depending on your level of expertise and/or use-case that might be a bit overkill, although Forge makes it much easier. You can check Atlassian documentation on how to get started.

Use App from the Marketplace

The last option would be to install the API Token Manager from the marketplace which most closely resembles what I believe you're looking for: A way to create and manage API tokens with different levels of permissions that are not tied to a specific user account. Of course, I'm biased here, because that's our app.

Anyway, hope that helps,
 Oliver

[Deepak Rai]

I think with Administrator access you will be able to achieve your goal. were you will be able to access all the projects.

[Rithvik K]

Thank you for your answer! Does this mean I will have to create a dedicated account with administrator access and then access all projects?

[Deepak Rai]

Yes but if you are the owner of your account then also u should have an administrative privilage.

[Nic Brough -Adaptavist-]

Administration rights means admin rights, not can see/do anything.

There's no point creating a dedicated admin account for this, you would still need to go through all your permissions and project roles to make sure the new account has "browse project"