Is Jira Self-Hosted in 2026? Server, Data Center, and Your Options
Jira's self-hosted editions are being retired. Here is what still runs on your own server, the dates that matter, and how to keep project data in-house after Atlassian's deadline.
Jira is no longer sold as a self-hosted product to new buyers. Atlassian ended Jira Server on February 15, 2024, and has scheduled Jira Data Center, its remaining on-premise edition, to expire into read-only mode on March 28, 2029. Atlassian reports that nearly all of its new customers now choose the cloud edition, while independent migration analysis cited by The Register puts a typical Data Center-to-Cloud move at roughly 28% higher annual cost. Teams that picked Jira specifically to keep project data on their own servers now face both a removed deployment model and a fixed deadline. The sections below map the three Jira self-hosting milestones, compare the four options once self-hosted Jira ends, and show how a one-time-license alternative installs a self-hosted project server in about 5 minutes.
Can you still self-host Jira in 2026?
Self-hosting Jira in 2026 depends entirely on when you bought the license. Existing Jira Data Center customers can keep running it on their own infrastructure until March 28, 2029, and can still buy license expansions through March 30, 2028. New customers lost the option on March 30, 2026, the day Atlassian stopped selling fresh Data Center licenses.
No current path exists for a new team to purchase a self-hosted Jira license. The only ways to run Jira on-premise today are to inherit or renew an existing Data Center agreement before its cut-off, both of which still end in 2029. A team starting from scratch this year cannot legally buy into self-hosted Jira at all, which reframes the question from "which Jira hosting" to "which self-hosted tool replaces it."
What happened to Jira Server?
Jira Server reached end of support on February 15, 2024, and receives no further updates or security fixes. Atlassian announced the wind-down in February 2021, halting Server license sales at that point and ending feature development across Jira Software Server, Jira Service Management Server, and the rest of the Server line.
Any Server instance still running today is unsupported software, with no patches for newly discovered vulnerabilities. That gap is the main reason most organizations moved their workloads to Data Center or to the cloud over the past two years. The shift also left a group of teams paying for a second migration, having already moved from Server to Data Center once before.
What are the 3 Jira Data Center end-of-life dates?
Three dates define the Jira Data Center wind-down: March 30, 2026, March 30, 2028, and March 28, 2029. New customers can no longer buy Data Center licenses after the first. Existing customers lose new purchases and expansions after the second. On the third, every Data Center instance switches to read-only, licenses expire, and Data Center Marketplace apps stop working.
Self-managed Server editions stop receiving updates and security fixes. Sales and feature work had already ceased in February 2021.
New buyers can no longer purchase Data Center licenses or Marketplace apps. Self-hosted Jira becomes closed to fresh adoption.
Existing customers can no longer buy new licenses, renewals, or expansions for Data Center products.
All instances become read-only, licenses expire, and Marketplace apps stop working. Bitbucket Data Center is a partial exception through a hybrid license.
What are the 4 options once self-hosted Jira ends?
Four options remain when self-hosted Jira ends, and only one keeps your data on your own server with no expiry date. You can run an existing Data Center license until 2029, migrate to Atlassian Cloud, move to Atlassian Isolated Cloud, or switch to a self-hosted alternative that you own outright.
Atlassian Isolated Cloud, announced for 2026, is worth a clear distinction: it is a single-tenant environment with stronger data separation for regulated industries, but the infrastructure and patching stay with Atlassian. It improves isolation without being self-hosted. The table below sets the four paths side by side.
| Option | Who can use it | Runs on your server | Pricing model | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jira Data Center (existing) | Existing customers | Yes | Annual per-user subscription | Ends 28 Mar 2029 |
| Jira Cloud | Any team | No | Monthly per-user subscription | Ongoing |
| Atlassian Isolated Cloud | Regulated enterprises | No | Premium subscription | Ongoing |
| Self-hosted alternative | Any team | Yes | One-time license or free tier | None |
Table 1 — On-premise data ownership survives only in the existing Data Center license (until 2029) and in a self-hosted alternative.
What is the best self-hosted Jira alternative?
The strongest self-hosted Jira alternative for a team that wants to keep data in-house is one that installs on standard Windows infrastructure and includes every feature in a single license. Kendo Manager runs on your own Windows server or VPS, stores all project data on your infrastructure, and bundles Gantt, Kanban, time tracking, costs, budgeting, resources, issues, risks, change management, and reporting with no feature tiers.
Migrating teams keep their working method intact, because both classic waterfall scheduling and agile boards with sprints run in the same install. The interface is web-based and reachable from any browser or device on your network, with eight interface languages including English, German, Spanish, and Italian. A point-by-point breakdown lives on the the best self-hosted Jira alternative page, which sits inside the wider self-hosted project management software alternative hub. The full module list is on the Features page.
How do you set up a self-hosted project server in 5 minutes?
A self-hosted project server can be running in about 5 minutes with a single installer. The Kendo Manager 4.0 setup prepares the required components, configures the MariaDB database, installs the application, creates a desktop shortcut, and opens the tool in your browser automatically.
The default login is admin / admino, which should be changed after the first sign-in. Hardware needs are modest: a dual-core processor and 2 GB of RAM.
Teams that prefer to control each step manually can follow the documented path for Windows, IIS, and MariaDB. System requirements are Windows 10, 11, or Server, MariaDB 10.1 to 10.6, IIS, and .NET Framework 4 or later. Both routes are written out in the Kendo Manager Installation guide for Windows.
How much does a self-hosted Jira alternative cost?
A self-hosted Jira alternative can cost nothing to start. Kendo Manager offers a free version for up to 10 users and 1 active project with all application options included. Paid packages are one-time purchases rather than per-user subscriptions, each covering unlimited projects plus one year of upgrades and support.
The contrast with Data Center is the cost shape, not only the figure: a one-time license replaces an annual subscription that scales with every seat. Each paid package covers unlimited projects, and the full list is on the Kendo Manager prices page. A team can validate the full product before paying through the free trial.
Keep your projects on your own server
Install a self-hosted project management server in about 5 minutes, with every feature in one license.
Frequently asked questions about self-hosted Jira
Is Jira available self-hosted?
Not for new buyers. Jira Server ended on February 15, 2024, and new Jira Data Center licenses stopped selling on March 30, 2026. Only existing Data Center customers can still self-host, and that ends on March 28, 2029.
Is Jira Data Center the same as self-hosted?
Yes. Jira Data Center is Atlassian's self-managed, on-premise deployment, installed on your own servers or private cloud. It is the only self-hosted Jira edition still operating, and it reaches end of life on March 28, 2029.
Can I self-host Jira for free?
No. Jira has no free self-hosted edition. The free Jira plan is hosted by Atlassian in the cloud. A free on-premise option requires an alternative such as Kendo Manager, which is free for 10 users and 1 active project.
What is Atlassian Isolated Cloud?
Atlassian Isolated Cloud is a single-tenant, Atlassian-managed environment for regulated industries, available in 2026. It improves data separation, but it is not self-hosted: the infrastructure and patching stay with Atlassian rather than on your servers.
What happens to Jira Data Center after March 28, 2029?
Every Data Center instance becomes read-only, licenses expire, and Data Center Marketplace apps stop working. Atlassian provides critical security fixes only up to that date. Bitbucket Data Center is a partial exception through a hybrid license.
Which self-hosted alternative installs fastest?
Kendo Manager installs a self-hosted project server in about 5 minutes through its 4.0 one-click installer, which sets up MariaDB and the application automatically on Windows. Manual Windows, IIS, and MariaDB steps are documented as well.
Does a self-hosted alternative support agile and waterfall?
Yes. Kendo Manager runs classic waterfall scheduling with Gantt charts and agile work with Kanban boards and sprints in one install, so teams leaving Jira can keep the methodology they already use.
Sources
- Atlassian — Data Center end of life (timeline and read-only terms).
- Atlassian — End of Support Policy (Server end-of-support dates).
- The Register — Atlassian's move to cloud-only (migration cost analysis).
