General information

A primary use case for API tokens is to allow scripts to access REST APIs for Confluence applications using Basic Auth or Bearer Token with extended filtering/blocking capabilities.

If you define a token for a user, only that user can use it (if you use Basic Auth or Bearer Token), but if you do not specify a user, any user will be able to use this token (only if you use Basic Auth)

If an external system is compromised, you can revoke the token instead of changing the password and consequently changing it in all scripts and integrations.

Token Authentication

You can change the supported authorization methods for all generated tokens between Basic Auth or Bearer Token, or be compatible with both. The default type is Basic Auth.

Basic Auth

Basic authentication is a simple and widely supported authentication method that uses the HTTP header to send the username and password of the client. The client encodes the credentials in base64 and sends them with every request. The server decodes the credentials and checks if they are valid. Basic authentication is easy to implement and compatible with most clients, but it has some drawbacks. The credentials are not encrypted, so they can be intercepted by malicious actors. The client has to store the credentials securely and send them repeatedly, which can affect the performance and security of the API. Basic authentication is suitable for simple and low-risk scenarios, such as testing or prototyping.

Bearer Token authentication

Bearer authentication is a more advanced and secure authentication method that uses tokens instead of credentials. A token is a string of characters that represents the identity and permissions of the client. The client obtains a token from an authentication server by providing valid credentials or other information. The client then sends the token with every request using the HTTP header or the query string. The server validates the token and grants access to the API. Bearer authentication has several advantages over basic authentication. The token is encrypted, so it cannot be tampered with or stolen. The client does not have to store or send the credentials, which reduces the risk of exposure and improves the performance of the API. The token can also have an expiration date, which limits the duration of the access. Bearer authentication is suitable for complex and high-risk scenarios, such as production or public APIs.

How to choose?

When choosing between basic and bearer authentication for an API, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on the API's requirements, design, and security level. When making a decision, consider factors such as compatibility, complexity, and security. For example, if the API needs to support a wide range of clients, basic authentication may be more convenient. However, if the API needs to integrate with third-party services or platforms, bearer authentication may be more compatible. Additionally, if the API is simple and has few endpoints and resources, basic authentication may be sufficient. On the other hand, if the API is complex and has many endpoints and resources, bearer authentication may be more scalable. Moreover, if the API is low-risk and does not handle sensitive or personal data, basic authentication may be acceptable with HTTPS encryption. Lastly, if the API is high-risk and handles sensitive or personal data, bearer authentication may be mandatory for better security and control over access and data protection.

Source - How do you choose between basic and bearer authentication for your API?

Code snippet

You can generate the code snippet (JavaScript/curl) and authentication data for calls by clicking icon

If you want to check who used the token and when, all calls are added to the audit log

How does it work

Depending on the details of the HTTP library you use, simply replace your password with the token. For example, when using curl, you could do something like this:

curl -v https://my-jira.com --user USER:TOKEN

Note that:

• USER here is the email address or user name.

• TOKEN here is token generated in Extender REST API Tokens page

CURL Example

curl -s -u ansible@ansible.jira.pl:token0987654321 JIRA_URL/rest/api/2/issue/AAA-1

curl -s -u ansible@confluence.pl:token0987654321 CONFLUENCE_URL/rest/extender/1.0/user/getUserDetails/admin

curl -H 'Authorization: Basic YWRtaW46cGhuN2dkNHY2cWcyNGZ2aGZwNnFwZ2psa3VwMDFnMGxn' CONFLUENCE_URL/localhost:1990/confluence/rest/api/content

curl -u admin:token0987654321 -H "Content-Type: application/json" --data '{"body":"Comment text"}' -X JIRA_URL/rest/api/2/issue/ISSUE-1/comment

curl -H 'Authorization: Bearer qt3sumg4gd8r47n98tcnmuarnfufviog' 'http://localhost:2990/jira/rest/api/2/issuetype'

Postman Example

Basic Auth

Note that :

• Basic Auth use this type in Authorization type

• Username here is the email address or user name.

• Passwordhere is token generated in Extender REST API Tokens page

Bearer Token

Note that :

• Bearer Token use this type in Authorization type

• Token here is the uniqe token

Specify limits for tokens

You can restrict the token to specific specific methods (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.), URL's, URL parameters, and JSON data in the body.

Token restrictions for URLs, URL parameters, and JSON data in the body handling definition with regular expressions.

URL without any other restrictions

Example:

• Restriction to JRA project issues

.*/rest/api/2/issue/JRA.*

URL with POST method restriction

Example:

• Restriction to 'comment' endpoint on KANBAN-100 issue (only POST method)

[post].*/rest/api/2/issue/KANBAN-100/comment.*

URL with parameters

Add an additional definition to the end of the “Limit to” definition as shown in the example

[QueryParam::URL_PARAM_NAME==REGEXP]

• where URL_PARAM NAME is the name of the URL parameter

• where REGEXP is the definition of a regular expression, what value the URL parameter can take

Example:

• Restriction to all filters for all users (only with permission)

.*/rest/extender/1.0/filter/user/.*[QueryParam::permissions==true]

• Restriction to worklogs for all users (only in the date range 2018-01-01 - 2018-12-01)

.*rest/extender/1.0/worklog/user/.*[QueryParam::dateFrom==2018-01-01][QueryParam::dateTo==2018-12-01]

URL with JSON data in the body

Add an additional definition to the end of the “Limit to” definition as shown in the example

[JsonData::JSON_NODE_NAME==REGEXP]

• where JSON_NODE_NAME NAME is the name of the JSON node name

• where REGEXP is the definition of a regular expression, what value the JSON node name can take

Example:

{
    "name": "All Open Bugs",
    "description": "Lists all open bugs",
    "jql": "type = Bug and resolution is empty",
    "favourite": true,
    "editable": false
}

• Restriction to create new filter (limited to uneditable only)

.*/rest/api/2/filter[JsonData::editable==false]

• Restriction to create new filter (limited to uneditable only without adding to favorites)

.*/rest/api/2/filter[JsonData::editable==false][JsonData::favourite==false]

Secure mode

We created this mode to add another layer of security to your tokens and allow you to better protect them.

Standard mode	Secure mode

How to turn on Secure mode

 Keep in mind that this setting is universal across Jira and will require shutting down the instance. As always, we recommend testing changes in a lower environment before attempting them in production.

1. Shutdown Jira. Even on Jira Data Center, it is necessary to shutdown all nodes. A rolling restart of the nodes won't suffice.

2. Edit the jira-config.properties file in your JIRA application home directory.

   •  See Making changes to the jira-config.properties file for more information.

3. Change the value of the ops.bar.group.size.opsbar-classic-transitions-view property within this file to be the number of transition buttons required before the Workflow menu.

4. If this property does not appear in the jira-config.properties file, add it

   extender.token.secure.mode = true

5. Save the updated jira-config.properties file.

6. Restart JIRA. 

Troubleshooting

{
  "statusCode": 500,
  "message": "",
  "reason": "Internal Server Error"
}

Changes