Rovo connector types
Rovo connectors determine how third-party content is accessed, indexed, and made available in Atlassian apps. Each connector type can have different setup requirements, data storage, user experience, and quotas.
The connector types are:
Synced
Direct
Smart Link
This page is intended for admins and security teams.
End users won’t see these names in the product, but understanding the differences can help you manage your organization's connector functionality, requirements and data governance.
Differences at a glance
As a summary, the main differences between the connector types are:
Connector type | Search quality | Counts towards quota | Admin setup required |
|---|---|---|---|
Synced | Highest | Yes | Yes |
Direct | Medium | No | Yes |
Smart Link | Low | No | No |
Synced connectors
Synced connectors store and index all the content in a workspace using a service or admin account. They provide a comprehensive index, giving the best quality search, and making the content available in Chat and agents.
Quota
Objects indexed using a Synced connector count towards Rovo’s Indexed objects quota. To understand the quotas for your organization, see Rovo usage quotas.
Setup
These connectors require an admin to set up within admin.atlassian.com, and sometimes also require end users to authenticate to ensure they only see content they already have access to.
How end users authenticate with external apps
Direct connectors
Direct connectors connect to third-party data sources without indexing any data into Atlassian. During a search, results are retrieved live via search APIs. Chat and Agents are not supported by Direct connectors.
Quota
Data is not stored, and objects don't count towards Rovo’s indexed objects quota.
Setup
The current Direct connectors (Outlook Mail, Gmail, and Slack) require an admin to set up within admin.atlassian.com, and sometimes also require end users to authenticate to ensure they only see content they already have access to.
How end users authenticate with external apps
Smart Link connectors
Smart Link connectors are our default connector type. They index only the links a user has seen in Atlassian surfaces that load as Smart Links. They provide limited quality for search and chat.
Quota
Objects from Smart Link connectors don't count towards Rovo’s indexed objects quota.
Setup
Once an end user has connected their Atlassian account, Smart Links for that app will be available in search. For a result to show in search, it must be:
a Smart Link from a supported app,
on a page you have viewed within an Atlassian app,
on a site with Rovo.
Smart Link connectors are always available and can’t be disabled by an Admin.
Will end users see these connector types?
No, these names are for admins and security teams. End users experience a simple “Connect” authentication flow.
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