The much awaited JIRA 7 was released in October 2015 and it is now offered in three different application variants:
JIRA Core
JIRA Software
JIRA Service Desk
Let us discuss each one of them separately.
This comprises of the base application of JIRA that you might be familiar with, of course with some new features. JIRA Core is a simplified version of JIRA features that we have been using up until the 6.x versions.
This comprises of all the features of JIRA Core and JIRA Agile. From JIRA 7 onwards, JIRA Agile will no longer be offered as an add-on. You will not be able to install JIRA Agile from the marketplace.
This comprises of all the features of JIRA Core and JIRA Service Desk. Just like JIRA Software, JIRA Service Desk will no longer be offered as an add-on and you cannot install it from the marketplace.
This split of applications was done by Atlassian, keeping in mind the usage of JIRA in various organizations across the globe, and it makes it very simple for the companies to choose the right application suitable for their needs. However, it doesn't mean that all three applications (JIRA Core, JIRA Agile, and JIRA Service Desk) can't be used on the same instance. You can certainly buy JIRA Software and later install the JIRA Service Desk application on it.
Apart from this split, JIRA 7 brings new features such as Release Hub, with real-time status of the versions, an improved sidebar where you can add your own shortcuts, better reporting, and visibility of development tools. We will discuss and highlight these improvements in the relevant chapters in this book.
In this book, we will install JIRA Software that comes in-built with JIRA Agile, and later we will install JIRA Service Desk on top of it.