With Atlassian Connect End of Support approaching on January 31, 2027, Marketplace vendors need to start planning their migration to Forge if they haven’t already.
But how much will migration cost? What risks should you expect? And what should you prepare before requesting an estimate?
The answers depend on your app’s architecture, existing dependencies, and migration scope. Understanding these factors early can help you build a realistic plan and avoid unexpected costs.
What Determines Connect-to-Forge Migration Cost?
Migration cost is not determined by the number of features alone. Several technical factors can significantly affect the effort required.
1. Connect Modules and Architecture
The first step is to identify which Connect modules your app uses and whether Forge provides suitable alternatives.
Apps with straightforward modules may require relatively limited changes, while those with complex workflows, custom UI, or specialized functionality may need more substantial redesign.
2. Backend and Data Storage
Your existing backend does not necessarily need to be completely rebuilt. Forge Remote allows apps to retain external backend services while adopting Forge.
However, changes to data storage, authentication, APIs, and external integrations can increase migration effort.
3. Testing and Customer Upgrades
Migration involves more than implementing Forge functionality. Your team must also verify existing installations, permissions, data integrity, and integrations.
The more complex your app and customer upgrade process, the more time you should allocate for testing and stabilization.
The takeaway: A technical assessment is the best starting point for estimating migration cost and timeline. A fixed estimate based only on feature count may overlook important dependencies.
What Are the Biggest Migration Risks?
Understanding potential risks before development begins can help prevent delays and unexpected rework.
- Missing Forge equivalents
Not every Connect capability has a direct Forge equivalent. Some features may require redesign or alternative implementation approaches. - Breaking existing installations
A migration that works for new installations may still cause problems for existing customers. Upgrade paths and data integrity must be tested carefully. - Underestimating migration scope
Legacy code, external integrations, authentication, and data dependencies can make migration more complex than initially expected. - Leaving migration too late
Waiting until the deadline is close leaves less time to address technical blockers, complete regression testing, and stabilize production releases.
Atlassian supports incremental migration, allowing vendors to replace Connect modules progressively rather than rewriting the entire application at once. The right approach depends on your app’s architecture and business requirements.
What Should You Prepare Before Requesting an Estimate?
Preparing a few key technical details will help your development team or migration partner provide a more reliable estimate.
- Source code and Connect configuration: Share the relevant codebase and
atlassian-connect.json. - Module inventory: List your current Connect modules and identify any components already migrated to Forge.
- Architecture overview: Document your frontend, backend, database, hosting environment, and external integrations.
- Data and permissions: Explain where customer data is stored, whether it needs to be migrated, and whether permission changes are expected.
- Testing and release requirements: Outline existing test coverage, customer upgrade scenarios, and your target migration timeline.
If your app has already partially adopted Forge, Atlassian’s adoption-status CLI command can also help identify remaining migration requirements.
With this information, your team can better determine what can stay, what needs to change, and where the main risks lie.
Should You Migrate Everything at Once?
Not necessarily.
For many established Marketplace apps, a phased approach can reduce risk and make the work easier to manage.
A practical migration roadmap may include:
- Assess: Review the existing architecture and identify Connect dependencies.
- Plan: Choose the migration approach and prioritize critical modules.
- Implement: Migrate modules and address architectural changes.
- Validate: Test functionality, integrations, permissions, and customer upgrades.
- Release: Deploy the migrated version and monitor production behavior.
You should also avoid expanding the scope unnecessarily. For example, pursuing Runs on Atlassian may be a separate strategic objective rather than a requirement for completing Connect-to-Forge migration.
With Connect EOS approaching, prioritize removing remaining Connect dependencies and stabilizing your Forge app before taking on additional architectural changes.
Start With an Assessment, Not a Rewrite
Every Marketplace app has a different migration path. Some require only targeted module changes, while others need more substantial work across their backend, data storage, and integrations.
Before committing to a budget or timeline, make sure you can answer three questions:
- What can stay in the current architecture?
- What must change to remove Connect dependencies?
- What are the biggest risks to delivery and existing customers?
A structured assessment helps turn an uncertain migration project into a clearer plan with more realistic estimates.
Need Help Estimating Your Connect-to-Forge Migration?
At DS Solution Vietnam (DSS), we support Atlassian Marketplace vendors with Connect-to-Forge migration, Forge app development, testing, and ongoing maintenance.
Our team can review your existing architecture, identify remaining dependencies, and help you define a practical migration roadmap based on your app’s requirements.
Contact DSS to discuss your migration scope and explore the next steps for your Marketplace app.
