Integrating Freshdesk with Jira

In this new post, we want to try to integrate the fantastic Service Desk tool called Freshdesk with our usual Jira Software server on premise system.

The integration now is very easy, but has some security problems in the Jira side. But those problems can be solved doing some extra config in the Jira system.

First we need to go to our Freshdesk system and go to the Administration/Settings section. And go to the “Apps” section.

Now search the Jira plugins. At this moment there are 3 availables. We select the first one (Jira Plus integration from Freshdesk official team)

Now we are ready to configure! Just put your Freshdesk address/domain url (in my case is https://mraddon.freshdesk.com) and fill your API key from Freshdesk. (see here more info). (Basically is on your profile section, in the up-right corner)

Now we continue with the settings, we can let default config in the next section (see the below picture).

In the next section (Jira Account Configuration), we must fill the server name of our Jira, a Jira Admin user and password. The user of the integration must be Admin because it try to install a Webhook in our Jira once finished the integration wizard. The configuration can be setup for Jira Server or Jira Cloud.

Once filled the auth settings, you must configure the projects that will be available to be synced with Freshdesk and the custom fields and system fields that you want to see in the integration panel with Jira in the Freshdesk ticket user interface. See the example picture blow.

Remember also to map the possible Freshdesk statuses with the Jira possible workflow statuses.

Now you are ready to start. Just click in “Install” button.

Let’s do a try to the integration. We start in Freshdesk, we need to send an existent ticket from Freshdesk to Jira. In the right part of the user interface of the Freshdesk ticket, search the Jira panel. You will be ready to create new issues and to link existent issues in Jira to the Freshdesk ticket. Push in “Create” option

Select the project, fill the fields and create the Issue!

Just comment the Jira ticket, and you will see the same comment in Freshdesk.

We can link tickets, just searching by Key.

It’s a powerful integration, but has some security problems, for example, the Webhook created in Jira has no restriction in the projects scope, and this is very ugly (and we have selected in the integration the projects that we want…).

In my opinion, the Jira admin for security reasons must restrict the Webhook project scope introducing a JQL query like in the picture.

(Exercise) Pending to test… what happen if we change the permissions of the user of the integration to ones more restricted (without Jira Admin access of course). We know that the integration installs a “hard” Webhook the first time, but it’s necessary to have Admin rights in Jira to create tickets? In my opinion no, what happen if we restrict the user?

By MrAddon