Atlassian, the leading provider of collaboration software for teams, announced Atlassian Connect, a new distributed structure that allows third party developers to create additional modules in the programming language of their choice, and sell through Atlassian Marketplace.
Atlassian Connect is deeply integrated with the company’s cloud-based issue tracking and collaboration offerings: Atlassian JIRA OnDemand and Atlassian Confluence OnDemand. Atlassian Connect offers additional modules for developers to integrate add-ons directly into Atlassian applications.
Atlassian Connect features simple descriptors written in any programming language, which can be used by developers to create add-on. The add-on can use a simple JSON file, client libraries for Node.js and the Play framework to describe itself to Atlassian applications. The framework modules supports over two dozen different UI integration points, such as issue panels, page macros, and full screen pages for building scalable cloud applications. In addition, Atlassian Connect add-ons can pull data and push data back using JIRA or Confluence’s REST APIs.
“Customer demand for customized add-ons to our cloud-based JIRA and Confluence offerings has been incredible,” said Nick Wade, director of Atlassian Marketplace. “With our next generation development framework – Atlassian Connect – third-party developers can now easily create secure and scalable add-ons for millions of Atlassian cloud-based customers and sell their products via our marketplace. We’re thrilled to help fellow developers build their own businesses.”
Atlassian Connect framework supports standard Web protocols and APIs (HTTP, REST) and thus provides developers with new options for programming and implementation options for creating add-ons for Atlassian applications. The Atlassian Marketplace, the platform for buying and selling of external add-ons and plugins for Atlassian applications, will be used for the support of licensing and shopping for add-ons on Atlassian OnDemand. The Atlassian Marketplace, which was launched less than a year before, is quickly become a multi-million dollar business for the developer system of Atlassian.
Atlassian Connect enables developers to host remote add-ons in insulated containers that can insert content safely housed in facilities and term site for JIRA, Confluence, and Stash. Atlassian says some newly available add-ons for JIRA and Confluence OnDemand are available in the marketplace including Zendesk for JIRA, EazyBI for JIRA, Canvas for Confluence and JIRA, Harvest Time Tracking for JIRA, Ink File Picker for Confluence, and Aha! Product Roadmaps for JIRA. Companies like Zendesk, Lucidchart, Gliffy, Zephyr, and Comalatech are among the early adopters of Atlassian Connect.
Atlassian goal is to provide the benefits and effectiveness of marketplace with the largest possible number of developers and customers through technologies by enabling additional modules, and make more developers ecosystem to create their own business in the cloud.
The company last week launched its product development solution called Atlassian Git Essentials. Atlassian Git Essentials uses the capabilities of the JIRA Issue Management Software provides a unified interface for software development teams to date information and measures workflow throughout the development of the project – from issues and code check-ins to build status and project progress.