issuetracker

An issuetracker, or issue tracking system, is a software application used to record, manage, and monitor work items such as bugs, feature requests, tasks, and support tickets. It provides a centralized repository for reporting items, assigning responsibility, prioritizing work, and tracing progress from submission to resolution.

Core concepts include issues (tickets), statuses, priorities, types, reporters, assignees, and relationships. An issue typically has a unique identifier, title, description, creation date, and a history of comments and status changes. Most systems support labels, attachments, and links to related issues, commits, or milestones. Issues progress through a workflow, from creation or triage to in progress, resolution, and closure, with reopenings possible if needed. Workflows can be simple or customized with rules, transitions, and permissions.

Common features include submission forms, search and filters, dashboards, notifications, audit trails, and reporting. Integrations with version control, continuous integration, chat tools, and project-management platforms help synchronize code changes and progress. Some systems also support automation via APIs (REST or GraphQL) and provide project-level semantics.

Usage spans software development, IT operations, customer support, and product management, contributing to traceability and accountability. Examples of issuetracker platforms include Jira, GitHub Issues, GitLab Issues, Bugzilla, Redmine, and YouTrack.