Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up Jira Software on Ubuntu Using a Bash Script

Intro

Jira is one of the most popular project management and issue-tracking tools used by agile teams worldwide.
But setting it up manually can be time-consuming, especially when you need to configure Java, PostgreSQL, and Jira’s system services.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to automate Jira installation on Ubuntu using a single Bash script. By the end, you’ll have Jira running as a systemd service, ready to access from your browser.

Steps Overview

Here’s what our script does:

1. Updates the system.

2. Installs dependencies (Java, PostgreSQL, wget, curl).

3. Creates a dedicated jira service user.

4. Downloads and installs Jira Software.

5. Configures Jira Home directory.

6. Sets up PostgreSQL database + driver.

7. Creates a systemd service for Jira.

8. Starts Jira and makes it available at http://localhost:8080.

The Script

#!/bin/bash

# Set variables
JIRA_VERSION="9.16.1"
JIRA_INSTALL_DIR="/opt/atlassian/jira"
JIRA_HOME_DIR="/var/atlassian/application-data/jira"
DB_NAME="jiradb"
DB_USER="jirauser"
DB_PASS="StrongPassword"

# Update system
echo "Updating system..."
apt update -y && apt upgrade -y

# Install dependencies
echo "Installing required packages..."
apt install -y openjdk-11-jdk postgresql wget curl

# Add Jira user
echo "Creating Jira user..."
useradd --create-home --comment "Jira Service Account" --shell /bin/bash jira
echo "jira ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL" | tee /etc/sudoers.d/jira

# Download and install Jira
echo "Downloading Jira Software..."
wget https://product-downloads.atlassian.com/software/jira/downloads/atlassian-jira-software-${JIRA_VERSION}.tar.gz -P /tmp

echo "Extracting and installing Jira..."
mkdir -p ${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}
tar -xzf /tmp/atlassian-jira-software-${JIRA_VERSION}.tar.gz -C ${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR} --strip-components=1
chown -R jira:jira ${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}

# Set up Jira Home directory
echo "Configuring Jira home directory..."
mkdir -p ${JIRA_HOME_DIR}
chown -R jira:jira ${JIRA_HOME_DIR}
echo "jira.home=${JIRA_HOME_DIR}" > ${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}/atlassian-jira/WEB-INF/classes/jira-application.properties

# Configure PostgreSQL
echo "Setting up PostgreSQL database..."
sudo -u postgres psql <<EOF
CREATE DATABASE ${DB_NAME} WITH ENCODING 'UTF8' LC_COLLATE 'C' LC_CTYPE 'C' TEMPLATE template0;
CREATE USER ${DB_USER} WITH PASSWORD '${DB_PASS}';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE ${DB_NAME} TO ${DB_USER};
ALTER DATABASE ${DB_NAME} OWNER TO ${DB_USER};
EOF

# Install PostgreSQL driver
echo "Installing PostgreSQL driver..."
wget -O ${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/postgresql-42.2.27.jar https://jdbc.postgresql.org/download/postgresql-42.2.27.jar
chown jira:jira ${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}/lib/postgresql-42.2.27.jar

# Create a systemd service file for Jira
echo "Creating Jira systemd service..."
cat <<EOF | tee /etc/systemd/system/jira.service
[Unit]
Description=Atlassian Jira Software
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
User=jira
PIDFile=${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}/work/catalina.pid
ExecStart=${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}/bin/start-jira.sh
ExecStop=${JIRA_INSTALL_DIR}/bin/stop-jira.sh
SuccessExitStatus=143

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

# Reload systemd, enable and start Jira
echo "Starting Jira service..."
systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable jira
systemctl start jira

echo "Jira installation complete! Access it at: http://localhost:8080"

Verify Installation

After the script finishes, Jira should be running. You can check with:

systemctl status jira

Then open:

http://localhost:8080

If you’re using a remote server, you can expose it via ngrok or configure Nginx as a reverse proxy.

🔑 Jira License Key Setup

Once Jira is installed and running, you’ll be asked to enter a license key before continuing with the setup. This key is required to activate Jira Software and unlock its features.

You have two options at this stage:

1. Enter an existing license key

   • If your organization already has a Jira Software license, you can copy-paste it into the input box.

   • Jira validates the key against the server ID shown on the page.

2. Generate a trial license

   • If you don’t have a license yet, click the link “generate a Jira trial license at MyAtlassian”.

   • You’ll be redirected to Atlassian’s site, where you need to log in (or create an account).

   • Atlassian will generate a trial license for the specific Server ID (in this example: B2FD-HZO9-UP4D-EZ59).

   • Copy the generated key and paste it back into the Jira setup form.

👉 This step ensures that only authorized users can run Jira Software, whether it’s under a commercial license or a free evaluation license.