Neither deployment is inherently more secure. Atlassian Cloud shifts responsibility for operating the platform—such as infrastructure, upgrades, backups, and security—to Atlassian. Jira and Confluence Data Center give your organization more direct control over its hosting environment, but your team must run and secure it. The decision is therefore about whether Cloud’s available controls meet your requirements and whether you can sustain the operational work of self-hosting. Atlassian has announced that affected Data Center products, including Jira Software and Confluence Data Center, reach end of life on March 28, 2029.
How do security and control differ?
| Decision area | Atlassian Cloud | Jira and Confluence Data Center |
|---|---|---|
| Who operates the platform? | Atlassian hosts and manages the service, including servers, upgrades, backups, security, and scaling. Atlassian’s Jira hosting guide | Your organization installs and operates the software on infrastructure it controls, whether in its own data center or a public cloud environment it administers. Atlassian’s Jira hosting guide |
| Where does control sit? | You configure the controls Atlassian provides and can select residency locations for eligible, in-scope app data. You do not operate the underlying infrastructure. | You choose and administer the hosting environment and have direct control over its configuration and location. |
| Who handles security operations? | Atlassian operates the hosted service; your organization remains responsible for its identity, data governance, configurations, and integrations. | Your organization handles operational security, including timely patches, network protections, backups, and audits. Atlassian’s shared-responsibility guidance |
| What is the lifecycle outlook? | Atlassian identifies Cloud as its actively developed and recommended hosting option in its hosting guide. | Jira Software Data Center and Confluence Data Center are in the affected end-of-life cohort. Atlassian’s lifecycle policy |
These differences describe responsibility and available control, not a security ranking. The safer fit depends on your threat model, configuration, staff, integrations, and requirements.
Is Jira cloud-based or on-premise?
Jira is available as a fully hosted and managed Atlassian Cloud service, or as Jira Software Data Center, which your organization installs and operates. Data Center does not have to run in a building you own: Atlassian says customers may run it in their own data center or in a public cloud environment they administer. The distinction is who manages the infrastructure, not simply whether the hardware is physically on-premises. Atlassian’s Jira hosting guide
Is Jira Cloud secure?
Atlassian describes Cloud as including security, privacy, and compliance controls, with encryption in transit and at rest. Atlassian manages the hosted platform, but that does not make every organization’s configuration or use secure by default. Before relying on Cloud for a particular need, verify the relevant plan’s controls and eligibility, review your identity and access configuration, and assess the data handled by your integrations and apps.
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With Data Center, the organization must establish and maintain its own operational security program. Atlassian’s guidance calls for measures such as:
- Running Atlassian software on private networks and using protections such as firewalls, VPNs, and web application firewalls (WAFs).
- Applying released security fixes promptly.
- Configuring identity protections, including multifactor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO), and controlling access.
- Implementing encryption, keeping regular backups, and conducting security audits.
These are customer responsibilities, not security outcomes that follow automatically from choosing self-hosting. The scope of those controls, and the team’s ability to operate them consistently, should be part of the deployment decision. Atlassian’s shared-responsibility guidance
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Where is Jira Cloud data hosted?
Atlassian Cloud runs on Atlassian’s cloud infrastructure. For eligible plans, organization admins can select a geographic location for in-scope Jira and Confluence app data using Atlassian’s data residency feature. Residency gives you a say in where specified data is hosted; it is not the same as operating or controlling the underlying infrastructure. Atlassian’s data residency documentation
Do not assume that selecting a region covers every related record or data flow. Check the feature’s scope against your requirements, and inventory attachments, integrations, and Marketplace apps. Atlassian advises reviewing Marketplace vendors’ documentation and confirming compliance directly with them.
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What about customer-managed encryption keys?
Atlassian offers customer-managed keys (CMK) as an add-on to Cloud Enterprise for selected data across Jira and Confluence, as well as certain other Atlassian services. The feature currently supports AWS Key Management Service and is available only on new Cloud sites, according to Atlassian’s product information. It does not mean all Cloud data is encrypted with a key controlled by the customer. Confirm the site’s eligibility and the precise data scope before treating CMK as satisfying a compliance requirement. Atlassian’s customer-managed keys information
When does Jira Data Center reach end of life?
Atlassian’s published policy sets end of life for affected Data Center products, including Jira Software Data Center and Confluence Data Center, at March 28, 2029, 23:59 PST. At that time, subscriptions and associated Marketplace app subscriptions expire, and the products become read-only. Atlassian says existing customers can buy subscription expansions through March 30, 2028, and that it will provide technical support, critical-vulnerability security bug fixes, and Cloud connectors through the end-of-life date. These are vendor policy dates; confirm the current terms with Atlassian as your planning progresses. Atlassian’s Data Center end-of-life policy
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Read-only should not be mistaken for a supported long-term security plan. Atlassian warns: “We strongly advise against keeping your product running in a read-only mode while connected to the internet, since no new security bug fixes will be provided after the end of life date for Data Center.” Plan what will replace the deployment and how users will access the data before the deadline.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which option fits your organization?
Cloud is a stronger fit when
- You want Atlassian to operate infrastructure, platform upgrades, backups, security, and scaling.
- Your data-location and security needs can be met by Cloud’s eligible controls and the scope those controls cover.
- Your team would rather focus on configuration, identities, governance, and integrations than maintain the application stack.
Data Center may fit current requirements when
- You need direct control of the hosting environment or data location that available Cloud options do not meet.
- Your organization can staff and govern the ongoing work of patching, network protection, access control, encryption, backups, and audits.
- You have a time-bounded reason to remain on Data Center and a credible transition plan ahead of its published end-of-life date.
Atlassian’s hosting guide identifies Government Cloud as generally available since October 2025 and Isolated Cloud as planned for 2026. Availability, authorization, and eligibility can depend on geography and regulatory regime; verify the exact current status with Atlassian before relying on either specialized option. Atlassian’s Jira hosting guide
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How should you plan a move from Data Center?
Atlassian outlines three broad migration patterns. Choose based on how much legacy content you need, how much change users can absorb at once, and the complexity of your environment:
- Lift-and-shift: Move in a single window when transferring the existing environment is the priority.
- Fresh start: Create a new Cloud environment and bring over selected data rather than everything.
- Phased migration: Move in stages for a large or complex deployment.
Atlassian describes the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant as a free app for planning and transferring Jira projects, users, and data. Confluence migration steps, integrations, Marketplace apps, customizations, and sequencing require product-specific planning; confirm the applicable current Atlassian guidance for your setup rather than assuming a Jira workflow covers Confluence. Atlassian’s hosting and migration guide
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