End of Jira Data Center: prepare for the future now!
Atlassian has confirmed the end-of-life of Jira Data Center for March 28, 2029.
From that date onwards, Data Center licenses and apps will expire, and only Atlassian Cloud will remain supported. This marks a major turning point for all organizations still using Jira in an on-premise deployment. It is therefore essential to anticipate the transition and start considering a sustainable, secure, and sovereign alternative today.
Choosing the right project management tool can truly transform the way your teams collaborate on a daily basis. Jira and Tuleap are among the most well-known solutions, but they rely on very different approaches.
Atlassian, the publisher of Jira, has announced the end of Jira Data Center for March 28, 2029. After this date, Data Center licenses and apps will expire, leaving Atlassian Cloud as the only supported option.
In sensitive sectors (defense, healthcare, public services, or banking), data security and GDPR compliance are simply non-negotiable. Since Atlassian chose a cloud-only strategy, data control and location have become major concerns. More and more organizations are now seeking a safer, more flexible, and truly sovereign alternative.
Given this situation, one key question arises: which open-source alternative to Jira can genuinely meet your needs?
Discover why Tuleap is the essential open-source alternative to Jira, providing a complete, sovereign, and sustainable solution for your projects.
A strategic turning point for Jira users
Since 2002, Jira has been helping teams manage their projects and track their tasks. The tool, developed by Atlassian, has become a global reference for Agile and DevOps teams.
But the model is changing: in February 2024, Atlassian ended Jira Server and announced the end of Jira Data Center by March 28, 2029.
- On that date, Data Center licenses and Marketplace apps will expire and become read-only.
- New Data Center subscriptions for new customers will end as early as March 2026.
- License renewals and extensions will only be possible until March 2028.
In short, Atlassian is abandoning all on-premise deployment options: Atlassian Cloud becomes the only available path.
Implications for businesses:
- Complete dependence on Atlassian Cloud, often hosted outside the European Union, complicating GDPR compliance.
- Rising subscription costs due to per-user licenses and paid add-ons.
- Reduced flexibility for organizations with strict data security and sovereignty requirements (public sector, healthcare, defense, banking…).
In summary, Jira remains a comprehensive and powerful tool, but its shift to the cloud raises significant questions…
Anticipating the transition: evaluating the real alternatives
Rather than waiting for the deadline, affected organizations would benefit from preparing their transition plan now.
Three areas of analysis can guide this reflection:
- Hosting model: public cloud, sovereign cloud, or on-premise
- Degree of openness: proprietary solution or open source
- Sustainability: dependence on a single vendor or an open ecosystem
From this perspective, several alternatives to Jira exist, including Tuleap, an open-source ALM platform developed in France, often chosen in environments where data control is critical.
The advantage of these solutions is that they provide technical continuity while restoring freedom of choice regarding hosting, customization, and tool governance.
What the end of the Data Center model changes
The end of Jira Data Center is not just a commercial shift:
It profoundly transforms the relationship between teams and their tools.
Shifting from a controlled deployment to a 100% cloud service requires rethinking:
- Access governance
- Data location and security
- Level of autonomy of internal administrators
- Long-term total cost of ownership (TCO)
Many public and industrial organizations are already exploring alternatives that allow them to maintain a controlled infrastructure, either in-house or through a trusted hosting provider.
How to prepare in practical terms
To avoid a rushed migration as 2029 approaches, it is recommended to:
- Map the current usage of Jira and its associated plugins.
- Identify the critical processes that depend on the tool.
- Test replacement solutions on a limited scope.
- Assess the costs and risks of the transition over a 3- to 4-year horizon.
- Involve business and IT teams from the study phase.
Some solutions, such as Tuleap, facilitate the import of Jira data (tickets, comments, history, attachments) and allow for a gradual migration without disrupting operations.
What Tuleap offers:
Tuleap, developed by Enalean, is an open-source agile project management solution designed to manage your projects from A to Z.
On a single platform, you can manage:
- Agile management (Scrum, Kanban, Gantt)
- Requirements management
- Traceability
- Continuous integration (CI/CD)
- Version control and document collaboration
With Tuleap, you gain a complete view of the software lifecycle, promoting consistency among your teams and transparency in processes. Most importantly, you choose where to host your data: on-premise or in the cloud. Tuleap ensures data security, reduces dependence on external providers, and guarantees the sustainability of your projects.
👉In short, with Tuleap, your teams stay in control, your data is secure and managed, and your costs finally become predictable.
Compare the two tools and make your choice:
Migrating your data from Jira to Tuleap
Switch from Jira to Tuleap with ease!
Tuleap makes it simple to migrate your bugs and tickets from Jira, preserving history, comments, and attachments. This import allows you to set up your own workflows and take full advantage of Tuleap’s integrated Agile and DevOps management.
The process takes just a few simple steps, and you can manage one or multiple Jira projects at the same time, depending on your needs.
In summary:
✅ Simple and fast import
✅ History, comments, and attachments preserved
✅ Built-in collaboration and DevOps integration
Conclusion
The end of Jira Data Center isn’t an immediate risk, but it’s a strong signal: the on-premise model is living its final years at Atlassian.
For companies that prioritize control, compliance, and long-term sustainability, now is the time to consider solutions that offer greater technological freedom.
Open-source platforms like Tuleap are among them, but the choice will ultimately depend on your company’s strategy and internal requirements.
Prepare your projects for the future today with Tuleap: the open-source solution that puts your teams back in control.
