Build apps with the global:ui module (EAP)

An app that uses the global:ui module delivers its own end-to-end, full-page experience within the Atlassian platform. Instead of extending a surface inside Jira or Confluence, the app controls its own side navigation, gets its own place in the app switcher, and has a complete canvas for your content, while the Atlassian platform provides the surrounding top navigation.

The global:ui module lets your app:

• Deliver a full-screen experience with side navigation that you control and top navigation provided by the Atlassian platform.
• Appear in the Atlassian app switcher, so users reach your app from anywhere in the platform.
• Connect to one or more Atlassian apps through multi-app compatibility, and optionally surface data across them.
• Build on platform capabilities such as Teamwork Graph, Forge Agents, Rovo Search, and Rovo Chat.

How it works

When you build a Forge app today, it lives inside an Atlassian app. A Jira issue panel, a Confluence macro, or a project page extends the underlying Atlassian app surface, and its navigation, installation, and licensing are all inherited from the host app.

An app that uses the global:ui module works differently. You install it through multi-app compatibility with a required Atlassian app, such as Confluence. Once installed, the app appears in the Atlassian app switcher alongside core Atlassian apps and can optionally connect to additional Atlassian apps. Users experience the app as an independent, standalone tool, not as an add-on to an Atlassian app.

Compared to embedded apps

When to use the global:ui module

Consider using the global:ui module when:

• Users think of your app as a primary tool, not an add-on to an Atlassian app.
• Your app needs to work across multiple Atlassian apps, or deliver an independent workflow.
• You want users to navigate to your app directly from the Atlassian app switcher.

If your app's primary purpose is to extend a single Atlassian app (for example, adding a panel to a Jira issue or embedding content in a Confluence page, an embedded app is likely the better fit).

Use cases

Apps that use the global:ui module suit two broad categories of work.

New end-to-end tasks targeting new customer verticals - workflows that sit entirely outside the scope of existing Atlassian apps:

• Technical architecture diagramming tools for software architects.
• Human resourcing and training campaign management.
• Logistics and route planning for field operations teams.

New ways of managing existing tasks across multiple apps - apps that consolidate or provide a unified view of work spanning multiple Atlassian apps:

• Senior management dashboards that surface work across multiple Atlassian apps.
• Enterprise data backup and resilience tools.
• CRM and analytics tools that pull data from Jira and Confluence instances.

The global:ui module compared to the full page module

Forge's full page module also provides a full-screen canvas. The two modules serve different purposes.

Access and licensing

Access to the app is determined by the required Atlassian app declared in your manifest:

• Only users licensed to the required Atlassian app can access the global:ui surface and see the app in the app switcher.
• Unlicensed users cannot access the global:ui view or see the app switcher entry. They can still see embedded extension modules (such as confluence:macro or jira:issuePanel) that inherit their parent app's access permissions.

Licensing follows the same model as any other cross-app Forge app, so no new licensing setup is needed. For more details, see App compatibility.

EAP scope and limitations

This EAP releases the global:ui module on the existing multi-app compatibility installation model. Keep the following limitations in mind:

• Installation model: The EAP runs on multi-app compatibility, with one required Atlassian app. The same global:ui module is forward-compatible with the installation models that follow this phase.
• Launch URLs are interim: During the EAP, apps launch on an existing site hostname using a specific URL format. These URLs may change in a later phase. Set expectations accordingly and avoid hard-coding them. See Access your app.
• No Marketplace or production use: Apps that use global:ui cannot be published to the Atlassian Marketplace or used in production during the EAP.

Key terms

For more details on required and optional Atlassian apps, see App compatibility.

Next steps

Follow the Getting started tutorial to create your first app with the global:ui module and deploy it to your Atlassian site.