Like other Atlassian Server products, it is no longer possible to buy a Bitbucket Server licence. Buying or continuing the license for a Data Center is still an option; however, there are some advantages in moving to Bitbucket Cloud. If any of the advantages look appealing, then it may be time to consider migrating to the Cloud:
- Cheaper yearly cost than Bitbucket Data Center
- Built-in security
- DevOps Suite
- Native CI/CD
Atlassian is working on tools that can assist with migrating from Server to Cloud, specifically the JCMA (Jira Cloud Migration Assistant). Some of these tools are more mature than others, and so coding or manual migrations may also be required to migrate data. In the case of a Bitbucket Server to Cloud migration, a bit of everything may be the best choice.
| Feature | Repository Importer | API | Manual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source Code |  | | |
| User Accounts | | ||
| Groups | | ||
| Permissions | | ||
| Pull Request History | |||
| Commits | | ||
| Branches | | ||
| Builds | |||
| Environment Variables | | | |
| Comments |
Tip: Check any integrations. DevOps tools like CircleCI may need to be reconfigured or recreated in the Cloud.
The Repository Importer is a tool in Bitbucket Cloud which can import from several Git-based hosting sites. While it cannot migrate repository metadata, it migrates commits and branches along with the source code. As seen in the table, there is a gap where areas of data cannot be migrated at this time. Atlassian is working on expanding their resources with a Bitbucket Cloud Migration Assistant add-on, which will address these gaps as seen in their roadmap.
| Feature | Status | Quarter |
|---|---|---|
| Projects and Repositories | In the works | Q2 2021 |
| User Accounts | In the works | Q3-Q4 2021 |
| Groups | In the works | Q3-Q4 2021 |
| Permissions | In the works | Q3-Q4 2021 |
| Pull Requests | In the works | Q3-Q4 2021 |
As the roadmap indicates the app will be available by the end of 2021, the next year will have more migration support. The Bitbucket Cloud Migration Assistant will eliminate plenty of the manually required migrations and add the ability to migrate some metadata.
As Atlassian continues to create and hone their migration tools, it will ease the shift from Server to Cloud products. For now, you can always ask an Atlassian partner for assistance with migrating products. If you need any support, contact us!