Atlassian’s recent announcement sets a firm end-of-life (EOL) date for most Data Center products: March 28, 2029. Support will wind down in phased segments beginning March 30, 2026, creating a precise runway for organizations to proactively plan their migrations. For enterprises relying on Atlassian’s on-premise stack, this transition signals one of the most consequential changes in the last decade, with critical deadlines fast approaching. To ignore the timeline is to risk operational, security, and compliance exposure, risks that scale with every month of inaction.

What Atlassian’s EoS Means in Practice?

End-of-Support (EoS) means Atlassian will cease all technical support and security updates for Data Center and Server products past set dates. After 28 March 2029, affected environments will become read-only, and unsupported instances will no longer receive patches, bug fixes, or official help for technical issues. This transition is outlined to give teams a three-year period to assess, strategize, and execute migrations, but waiting compresses this critical timeline and raises barriers to a smooth move.

Products and Versions Impacted

Impacted products include Jira Software, Jira Service Management, Confluence, Bamboo, Crowd, and associated mobile and Marketplace apps. Of note, Bitbucket Data Center is excluded from this EOL timeline and will continue under a hybrid licensing path. Most organizations utilize several Marketplace apps alongside core platforms, and these will follow host product end dates, so planning for app availability and migration is essential.

The Atlassian EoS Timeline: Key Dates

Atlassian’s Data Center end-of-support follows a phased timeline. Along with the platform-wide milestones, product-specific Long-Term Support (LTS) versions also reach end of support ahead of March 2029.

Product-Level EoS Dates (LTS Releases)

• Bamboo 9.4 (LTS): End of Support — 26 October 2025
• Jira Service Management 5.12 (LTS): End of Support — 29 November 2025
• Jira Software 9.12 (LTS): End of Support — 29 November 2025
• Confluence 8.5 (LTS): End of Support — 15 December 2025

Platform-Level EoS Milestones

• March 30, 2026: No new Data Center subscriptions or Marketplace Data Center apps for new customers.
• March 30, 2028: Last date for existing customers to purchase new Data Center licenses, renewals, app licenses, or user tier expansions.
• March 28, 2029: Full end-of-life for all impacted Data Center products and Marketplace apps; environments shift to read-only mode.

Organizations should also note that renewals cannot extend beyond March 28, 2029. Once an instance enters read-only mode, no new security fixes will be available, and operational and security risk increases sharply.

Source: Altasian Data Center EOL General Questions

Why is the Timeline Urgent Now?

While you may see “2029” and think you still have years, the truth is that the phase-down has already begun. For instance, if you are still purchasing new user-seats or relying on third-party apps for Data Center, the window closes in 2026/2028. Waiting too long means you lose flexibility, budget favourability and may face rushed migrations under pressure.

Hidden Risks of Doing Nothing

Delaying migration compresses timelines and escalates organizational risk. Running Atlassian tools in read-only mode after EOL increases exposure to unpatched vulnerabilities, compliance failures, and dependency breakage (especially for Marketplace apps, which may lose critical capability and support).

Ongoing app support will narrow to critical fixes, and Marketplace vendors may alter product roadmaps as the EOL deadline nears. Teams not planning early face reduced feature parity, unpredictable costs from prorated renewals, and diminished options for remediation, testing, and training.

Recommended Read: Enhancing Code Security and Compliance: GitLab’s Real-Time Insights

Migration Planning: A Phased, Data-Driven Approach

For organisations navigating Atlassian’s end-of-support cycle, a structured and evidence-driven migration plan is essential. Delayed planning introduces deadline pressure, compresses testing windows, and increases the likelihood of costly rework. As a specialist migration partner, VivaOps guides teams through a phased, transparent process that minimises risk and ensures operational continuity.

A well-governed migration program should begin with:

1. Comprehensive Marketplace App Mapping

Every Marketplace extension, whether critical to workflow automation, reporting, or compliance, must be catalogued early. This includes capturing version information, usage patterns, and whether the app remains supported in the target environment.

2. Verification of Cloud or Replacement Availability

Teams often discover that their most relied-upon Server/Data Center apps have partial, limited, or no availability in Atlassian Cloud. Early discovery prevents late-stage surprises. VivaOps identifies functional gaps and evaluates replacement options or redesign paths.

3. Documenting the Migration Path for Each App

Migration complexity varies widely. Apps typically fall under categories such as:

• Automated Migration Supported
• Vendor-Guided Migration
• Configuration-Only (Install Required)
• Requires Version Upgrade Before Move
• No Cloud Path (Workflow Redesign Required)

By sequencing these dependencies, VivaOps ensures that no blocker emerges late in the project.

4. Validation in Controlled Environments

Before any production cutover, core data sets, including issues, projects, repositories, workflows, and attachments, must be validated in a sandbox environment.
This pre-migration rehearsal identifies data inconsistencies, enhances predictability, and provides stakeholders with hands-on visibility before go-live.

Why GitLab Stands Out As The Preferred Alternative?

For organisations evaluating whether to remain within the Atlassian ecosystem or transition to a more unified platform, GitLab stands out as a future-ready option. Particularly for teams seeking to consolidate tooling, reduce licensing sprawl, and improve end-to-end DevSecOps maturity.

1. Flexible Deployment Models

Unlike Atlassian, which is moving fully toward cloud-only, GitLab supports SaaS, self-managed, hybrid, and air-gapped deployments. This flexibility allows organisations, especially those in regulated, sovereign-data, or high-security environments, to modernise without compromising governance.

2. Unified DevSecOps Capabilities

GitLab consolidates planning, source code management, documentation, CI/CD, security testing, and compliance controls into a single platform.
For teams that currently depend on Jira + Confluence + Bitbucket + Bamboo (along with Marketplace apps), GitLab reduces integration overhead and long-term operational cost.

3. Reduced Complexity and Operational Overhead

A single platform with integrated workflows eliminates the need to maintain dozens of app dependencies, custom integrations, and brittle connectors, challenges that become even more acute as Atlassian winds down support for on-premises ecosystems.

4. Strong Alignment With Modern Software Delivery Practices

GitLab’s architecture is purpose-built for modern DevSecOps. The platform embeds security scanning, policy enforcement, automation, and compliance workflows directly into the development lifecycle, reducing risk and increasing speed.

Recommended Read: Top 6 Reasons Why GitLab Earned Top Spot in Gartner’s 2024 Magic Quadrant for Leading DevOps Solutions

Final Thought

Atlassian’s end-of-support milestones are not distant or theoretical; they are active, time-bound changes that directly affect security posture, operational resilience, and long-term tooling strategy. Organisations still running Server or aging Data Center deployments face a narrowing window in which to modernise, validate alternatives, and secure business continuity.

Early planning delivers flexibility, smoother transitions, and stronger future positioning. Whether you move to Atlassian Cloud or adopt a unified platform like GitLab, the key is to begin with clarity and intention.

If you’d like to chat about how to assess your current state, map your migration path, or compare toolchain options, the VivaOps team is ready to help you plan confidently and move with purpose.

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