Atlassian Cloud is a reliable platform, offering scalable infrastructure to manage data and software. However, Atlassian follows a shared responsibility model. This means while they secure and maintain their platform, you are responsible for ensuring disaster recovery in case of data loss, accidental deletion, or security incidents. In practical terms, if Atlassian has an issue with their systems, they’ve got you covered. If instead, an issue arises on your end you need your own backup solution to ensure business continuity. Common issues include misconfigurations, accidental deletions, or cyberattacks that may be outside your control. Backing up your Atlassian Cloud instance is the solution to preventing data loss from these threats. Let’s explore different ways to do so.
Native Atlassian Backup & Export Options
Atlassian Cloud does not offer full-instance automated backups, but there are manual backup and export options available.
Jira Cloud
Atlassian offers a limited site backup for Jira Cloud. It allows you to create a manual backup of issues and configurations via CSV export or JSON export. You can also do a project-specific backup, exporting individual projects using Jira Cloud’s Export feature. Users may utilize Jira’s Automation to copy key issue data to an external system.
Confluence Cloud
Users can export Confluence Spaces in XML (for re-import), HTML (static web pages), or PDF. Atlassian does not provide full-site backups, but admins can perform bulk Space exports (script backups) using the Confluence API.
Atlassian’s Data Residency & Retention Policies
It is important to understand that certain places within Atlassian have expiration dates. For example, deleted Jira issues and Confluence pages can be recovered within 60 days from the recycling bin. After that, they are deleted. Additionally, Atlassian’s audit log retains events for up to 2 years (depending on your plan). These policies help with short-term accidental deletions but they do not replace a true disaster recovery plan.
Limitations of Atlassian’s Backup Options
While these Atlassian’s native backup capabilities are available, there are no full-instance automated backups for Jira or Confluence Cloud. Atlassian also offers limited restoration options as you must re-import all content manually. In addition to this, user management settings and global configurations are not included in Atlassian native backups. Since native backups are not the best option to keep your data safe, let’s explore other options.
Using Third-Party Backup Solutions
To ensure full automation, quick recovery, and robust security, third-party apps can provide a more reliable backup strategy.
Why Choose a Third-Party Backup Solution?
Many third-party solutions offer automated daily backups (no manual exports required). Additionally, they offer point-in-time restoration, allowing you to restore deleted issues, projects, or spaces. They also help with encryption and compliance. Furthermore, many offer custom retention policies for long-term archiving as well as external storage integration with Google Drive, AWS, Azure, etc.
Best Atlassian Marketplace Backup Solutions for Jira & Confluence Cloud
Revyz Data Manager for Jira and Confluence
Revyz is our number one recommended solution for backing up your Jira and Confluence instances due to its:
- Automatic backups & restores for Jira projects, issues, and configurations.
- Point-in-time recovery to restore specific datasets.
- User-friendly dashboard with easy recovery options.
- 4/4 star reviews on the Atlassian Marketplace as opposed to the 3.9 of its competitors.
Rewind Backups for Jira & Confluence
Rewind offers:
- Continuous automated backups.
- Granular recovery (restore specific issues, pages, or projects).
GitProtect.io for Jira
GitProtect.io offers:
- Back ups for Jira, Confluence, and Bitbucket Cloud.
- Encrypted and offsite storage support.
Among these options, Revyz Data Manager stands out for its ease of use, automated full-instance backups, and reliable recovery options.
Custom API-Based Backup Solutions
For companies that prefer an in-house backup strategy, Atlassian provides REST APIs to extract and store data. This approach requires much more time spent on this custom solution and will require in-house developer maintenance as Atlassian mature their APIs.
- Jira Cloud REST API: Export issues, projects, workflows, and configurations.
- Confluence Cloud REST API: Extract spaces, pages, and attachments.
- Bitbucket Cloud API: Back up repositories.
Custom Backup Workflow Example:
- Use the API to extract data (issues, spaces, attachments, etc.).
- Store backups in AWS S3, Google Cloud, or local storage.
- Set up cron jobs or scheduled tasks for automation.
- Encrypt and version the backups for security.
This method requires developer expertise but provides full control over backup frequency and retention policies.
Ready to Backup Your Atlassian Cloud Instance?
While all of these methods ensure an extra level of protection for your data, we believe using a third-party solution such as Revyz Data Manager is the best way to keep your data safe. Atlassian Cloud’s shared responsibility model means it’s your duty to protect your data and apps like Revyz ensure this protection. With automated backups, point-in-time recovery, and robust encryption, Revyz continues to keep your data secure and recoverable. If you are interested in setting up a disaster recovery plan for your Atlassian Cloud instance, contact our experts today.
