As we navigate the software landscape of 2026, the shift toward cloud-native architectures is no longer a "trend"—it is the standard. For organizations relying on the Atlassian ecosystem, this transition has reached a critical focal point: Atlassian Forge. In a recent deep-dive discussion, Ravi Sagar and Milind Gautam explored the evolution of Jira plugin development, the sunsetting of legacy systems, and why Forge has become the mandatory backbone for building internal applications.
A Brief History: From Java SDKs to the Cloud
To understand why Forge is revolutionary, we must first look at where we started. In the early days of Jira’s dominance, developers built plugins using the Atlassian SDK, a Java-based framework designed for on-premise deployments. This era required developers to have a deep understanding of Jira’s internal Java API and manage the complexities of server-side resource allocation.
However, as Atlassian began its strategic pivot away from Jira Data Center and on-premise solutions, the traditional SDK became a relic of a fading architecture. The introduction of Jira Cloud initially brought about the Connect platform. Connect was a significant step forward, but it placed a heavy burden on developers: they had to build, host, and maintain their own external servers to run their apps, which would then "call into" Jira.
What is Atlassian Forge?
Atlassian Forge represents the "Third Wave" of app development. It is a serverless app development platform that removes the friction of infrastructure management.
In the discussion, Ravi Sagar highlighted that Forge is designed to let developers focus entirely on solving business problems rather than worrying about DevOps. When you build on Forge, Atlassian provides the compute, the storage, and the security layer. Your code runs within the Atlassian infrastructure, ensuring high performance, reduced latency, and built-in compliance with Atlassian’s security standards.
The Key Benefits of Forge:
- Serverless Efficiency: No more managing AWS instances or Heroku dynos to keep your plugin running.
- Built-in Security: Because the code lives on Atlassian’s infrastructure, data residency and security protocols are handled natively.
- Ease of Entry: With comprehensive tutorials and a CLI-based workflow, moving from an idea to a deployed app in Jira or Confluence is faster than ever.
Why Forge is Now Mandatory
A common question among developers is: "Can I still use legacy methods?" The answer is increasingly nuanced but clear. If you are building an internal application—something that sits directly within the Jira or Confluence UI, adds a panel, or creates a custom menu—Forge is the only option.
Atlassian has positioned Forge as the primary requirement for internal app development. This shift ensures that the user experience remains consistent and that apps are as scalable as the Cloud instances they inhabit. For organizations that used to rely on "heavy" Java plugins, the transition to Forge is not just a technical upgrade; it’s a necessary move to remain compatible with the modern Atlassian Cloud.
Integrations vs. Internal Apps: The REST API Exception
While Forge is mandatory for apps living inside the Atlassian interface, the ecosystem remains open to external communication. During the discussion, it was clarified that developers can still utilize the Jira REST API for external integrations.
If you have an external tool—perhaps a custom CI/CD dashboard or a proprietary reporting tool—that needs to pull data from or push updates to Jira, you don't necessarily need to build a Forge app. You can use any programming language (Python, Node.js, Go) to call Jira’s documented REST endpoints.
The Rule of Thumb: If it lives inside Jira, use Forge. If it talks to Jira from the outside, use the REST API.
Getting Started: The Path Forward
Despite the mandatory shift, the barrier to entry for Forge is remarkably low. The platform is designed for modern JavaScript/TypeScript developers, moving away from the "Java-heavy" requirements of the past. By following Atlassian’s structured tutorials, teams can migrate their legacy logic into Forge modules relatively quickly.
The sunsetting of Jira Data Center marks the end of an era, but the rise of Forge marks the beginning of a more secure, scalable, and developer-friendly chapter. As we move further into 2026, the message from experts like Ravi Sagar is clear: The cloud is the destination, and Forge is the vehicle that will get your customizations there.
Whether you are a veteran plugin developer or a team looking to fill a specific gap in your workflow, the time to adopt Forge is now. It is no longer just a "new way" to build—it is the only way to ensure your Jira environment stays powerful, integrated, and future-proof.