pycontribs-jira

To interact with Jira, import the JIRA class, instantiate it with your Jira instance URL, and use the .issue() method to retrieve issue objects. You can access issue data through the .fields attribute.

from jira import JIRA

jira = JIRA('https://jira.atlassian.com')

issue = jira.issue('JRA-9')
print(issue.fields.project.key)            # 'JRA'
print(issue.fields.issuetype.name)         # 'New Feature'
print(issue.fields.reporter.displayName)   # 'Mike Cannon-Brookes [Atlassian]'

The jirashell script is a specialized Python interpreter (built on IPython) designed for active exploration of the Jira REST API. It automatically builds a JIRA client object and stores it in a variable named jira for immediate use.

Installation

Install the jira package with the [cli] extra to include the shell:

pip install jira[cli]

Running the Shell

Launch the shell by providing your Jira server URL with the -s flag:

jirashell -s https://jira.atlassian.com

Once active, you can interact with your Jira instance using standard Python code. Press Ctrl-D to exit.

In jirashell, resources (like issues) are returned as Resource objects. These objects map the server's JSON response directly into Python objects with attribute access. This allows you to discover available properties and methods using tab completion.

Example: Inspecting an Issue

1. Fetch an issue using jira.issue('ISSUE_KEY').
2. Use the . operator and hit TAB to see available methods (e.g., update, delete, expand).
3. Access fields via the .fields attribute. Because fields are mapped directly, you can access custom fields using their specific names (e.g., issue.fields.customfield_11531).

# Fetch an issue
issue = jira.issue('JRA-1330')

# Access standard fields
print(issue.fields.summary)
print(issue.fields.status)

# Access custom fields
print(issue.fields.customfield_11531)

The recommended way to install jira-python is via pip.

To install the library along with the dependencies required for the jirashell CLI binary, use the [cli] extra. If you only need the library for programmatic use, you can omit the [cli] suffix.

pip install 'jira[cli]'

The project uses Docker to generate a test Jira Server instance. You can automate the setup using VS Code Dev Containers.

Prerequisites:

1. Ensure Docker is running.
2. Install the following VS Code extensions:
   • ms-azuretools.vscode-docker
   • ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers

Steps:

1. Open the repository folder in VS Code.
2. Open the Command Palette (View >> Command Palette or equivalent).
3. Search for and select: Remote-containers: Rebuild and Reopen in container.

Note: The Jira server build takes time. You can monitor progress via the Docker extension. Once the server is up, it will be reachable at http://localhost:2990/jira.

Run the Jira test image using docker run.

Important Requirements:

• You must use the -dit flags (detached, interactive, and TTY) because the AMPS process exits if it does not have a controlling TTY.
• Port mapping -p 2990:2990 is used to expose the service.
• Default credentials are admin/admin.
• Note on startup time: The first responsive request typically takes approximately 3-5 minutes on a cold network.

Standard Run Command:

docker run -dit -p 2990:2990 --name jira pycontribs/jira-test-image:8.17.1

You can override the Jira version for different 8.x patch versions by using the JIRA_VERSION environment variable during docker run.

Limitations:

• Only Jira 8.x patch versions are supported.
• Jira 9+ and 11+ are not supported because the upstream addono pom.xml is anchored to the 8.x dependency graph and will fail Maven resolution for newer major versions.

docker run -dit -p 2990:2990 -e JIRA_VERSION=8.17.0 --name jira \
  pycontribs/jira-test-image:8.17.1

To avoid conflicts with system components, it is strongly recommended to install the client in a dedicated virtualenv.

python -m venv jira_python
source jira_python/bin/activate
pip install 'jira[cli]'

The JIRA client supports several authentication methods. Note that Cookie-based authentication and HTTP BASIC are no longer supported on Jira Cloud. For Jira Cloud, use API Tokens via basic_auth.

# Jira Cloud: Use Email and API Token
auth_jira = JIRA(basic_auth=('email', 'API token'))

# Jira Self-Hosted: Use Personal Access Tokens (PATs)
auth_jira = JIRA(token_auth='API token')

# OAuth 1.0a
هاoauth_dict = {
    'access_token': 'foo',
    'access_token_secret': 'bar',
    'consumer_key': 'jira-oauth-consumer',
    'key_cert': key_cert_data
}
auth_jira = JIRA(oauth=oauth_dict)

# Kerberos
auth_jira = JIRA(kerberos=True, kerberos_options={'mutual_authentication': 'DISABLED'})

All interactions with Jira are performed through the jira.client.JIRA object. By default, calling JIRA() attempts to connect to a local Jira instance at http://localhost:2990/jira (the default for the Atlassian Plugin SDK). You can specify a custom server URL during initialization.

from jira import JIRA

# Connect to default local instance
jira = JIRA()

# Connect to a specific server
jira = JIRA('https://jira.atlassian.com')