Jira Database Setup Why the Built in Database Is Evaluation Only
The setup wizard offers one friendly click that quietly decides whether your Jira data is safe. This page explains that click — and the external database every real install should use.
✍️ Technical Anshu🪟 Windows⏱️ 6 minute read
🎥 The install video shows the wizard — this guide covers the database decision inside it
Every Jira issue, comment, attachment record and workflow lives in the database. The program can be reinstalled in twenty minutes; the database is the company memory. Choosing where it lives is the most important decision in the whole install.
Setup wizard — the database choice (illustration)
Built-in (H2)Evaluation only — data risk
External — PostgreSQLFree, Atlassian's most tested pick
External — MySQLSupported, version rules apply
External — SQL ServerSupported — Express edition is NOT
External — OracleSupported, driver needed
👆 Five rows, one real decision. Everything Jira knows — every issue, comment and workflow — sits in this database. The program files are replaceable; this is not.
1
What the Built-in Database Really Is
The installer offers a built-in database so you can evaluate Jira in minutes. In current versions it is an embedded H2 database stored as files inside the home directory. Atlassian's own documentation is blunt about it: it is provided for evaluation purposes only.
The problems are practical, not theoretical. The embedded database is not built for many simultaneous users, it is easy to corrupt if Jira is killed mid-write (a power cut, a forced restart), and when it corrupts, it takes your issues with it. There is no separate database service to repair or back up with normal tools.
2
The Supported External Databases
PostgreSQL — free, and the database Atlassian says has been extensively tested with Jira. The sensible default for most Windows installs too, even though it feels like a Linux name.
Microsoft SQL Server — natural choice in a Windows office that already runs it. Note the trap: SQL Server Express editions are not supported.
MySQL — supported, with strict version and configuration requirements (character encoding must be UTF-8, and some storage settings matter). Follow Atlassian's MySQL page exactly if you choose it.
Oracle — supported in enterprises that already own it; you must supply the JDBC driver yourself.
Exact supported versions change with each Jira release — always confirm yours on Atlassian's Supported platforms page for your Jira version before installing.
3
Set It Up in the Right Order
Install the database server first and create an empty database and a dedicated user for Jira, with full rights on that database only.
Set the database encoding to UTF-8 — fixing wrong encoding after data exists is miserable.
Then run the Jira setup wizard, choose the external database option, and enter the host, port, database name, user and password.
Already running on the built-in database? Jira can be switched later: back up, create the external database, and re-run the configuration — but doing it from day one is far less work.
🎥 Watch the Complete Install in the Video
The full installation, screen by screen, is in the video — this page is your written companion for every step and warning.
What happens if I keep using the built-in H2 database?
For a personal lab, possibly nothing for months. But it is unsupported for production: it handles concurrent users poorly and a hard shutdown can corrupt it, taking your issue data with it. Atlassian labels it evaluation only for exactly this reason.
Which external database should a small office pick?
PostgreSQL — it is free, fully supported, and the database Atlassian tests most heavily with Jira. Choose SQL Server instead only if your office already runs and backs it up (and never the Express edition, which is not supported).
Can I move from the built-in database to an external one later?
Yes. Jira supports switching databases after install: take a full backup, prepare the empty external database, and point Jira at it. It is a planned maintenance job, not an emergency fix — another reason to start external if you can.
This guide is based on the Technical Anshu Jira Server installation video • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply there 🙏