JQL

JQL, or Jira Query Language, is the query language used in Jira to filter and locate issues across projects, boards, and filters. It is designed to express criteria for issues stored in Jira’s database and is not a general-purpose SQL dialect. JQL queries are typically used in the issue navigator, saved filters, dashboards, boards, and automation rules.

The basic syntax of JQL is field operator value, and multiple criteria can be combined with AND, OR, and parentheses to form complex expressions. You can also use NOT to negate conditions. Values may be literals, lists, or functions, and phrases with spaces should be enclosed in quotes. For example: project = PROJ AND status = "In Progress" AND assignee IS NOT EMPTY ORDER BY priority DESC.

Common searchable fields include project, issueType, status, assignee, reporter, priority, labels, sprint, due, created, updated, and resolution. Operators include =, !=, >, >=, <, <=, IN, NOT IN, IS, IS NOT, and ~ for text searches in summary or description. There are also temporal operators and functions such as CHANGED, WAS, and BY to query changes over time, and relative or calendar-based time expressions like created >= -7d or due <= endOfWeek().

Advanced capabilities include functions like currentUser(), membersOf(group), and relative date functions such as startOfWeek() and endOfMonth(). Examples: assignee = currentUser() AND status != Done; or project IN (PROJ1, PROJ2) AND summary ~ "login issue".

Limitations include the absence of full SQL-style joins or aggregations; performance depends on indexing; some fields may not be searchable in all Jira deployments, and complex needs may require add-ons or scripting.