What Happens When Your Jira Server or Data Center License Expires?

Summary

When a Jira Data Center license expires, what happens to the Jira instance? Will users still be able to log in and create issues? What about the server license, does it expire or is there a license impact on the product?

Solution

Jira Data Center license

When a Jira Data Center license expires, below is an exhaustive list of functionalities that can be done and can't be done:

Can do:

• Users can log in and work on (comment/transition/assign, etc.) existing issues

• Can administer the system, including creating new users, user groups, and user directories

• Can create new issue types, custom fields, screens, workflows, automation rules

• Can create and administer projects

• Can install new apps and continue to use free apps and apps with valid licenses

Can't do:

• Can't create new issues.

• Can't browse anymore Assets data from the UI. However Assets data still is retained in the Jira database.

  

• Can't apply the license to Jira versions released after the expiry date:

  

When there are two products in the same instance

When there are multiple products in the same instance (e.g., Jira Service Management (JSM) and Jira Software) and only one of the licenses expires, the entire instance (all products) will enter read-only mode. To recover write access to the licensed parts of Jira, remove the expired license by navigating to Administration >> Applications >> Versions and Licenses.

Note:

• If the expired and removed license is from JSM, the JSM project will continue to be presented as a "Service", but will behave without the JSM features (such as no customer access through portal, no SLA, etc). Uninstallation of the JSM application is not required to regain access; simply removing the expired license is sufficient. If the JSM license will not be renewed, please consider to convert the project type to JSW. If you decide to completely remove JSM, it can be uninstalled via the Administration >> Applications >> Versions and Licenses section. While JSM application data remains in the database for backup purposes, it is no longer be actively accessible through the interface. To safeguard historical data, create a backup of your application server and database before uninstalling JSM.

• If the expired and removed license is from JSW, the JSW projects will continue to be presented as "Software", but will lose the agile capabilities (such as Sprint creation, some reports, etc). As above, if the JSW license will not be renewed, please consider to convert the project type to JSM.

Jira Server license

As all server licenses are perpetual, you can use your software into perpetuity. This means the server product will continue to operate in its current state after the maintenance period expires. This is documented in What happens when the included self-managed software maintenance ends?

When a Server license expires, the Jira server and apps will continue to work in the current state, even after the Server end of support date. However, you can't upgrade Jira to a version released after the license expiration date, or not newer than Jira 9.12.13 (which are datacenter only versions). If you attempt to upgrade to a version beyond your maintenance period, the upgrade will fail. In such cases, you can either roll back to the last compatible version or consider transitioning to a Jira Data Center license to unlock access to newer versions

Alternative solution

If you plan to continue using the products, please contact Atlassian or its partners to purchase the new license. You can also consider migrating to Jira Cloud for immediate access to the latest features and versions. However, to prevent service disruptions in the meantime, you can immediately generate a 30-day trial license:

• Login to https://my.atlassian.com

• In the Licenses section, click on "New trial license."

This allows uninterrupted access while you resolve any renewal delays.