Both Power Scripts™ and ScriptRunner do a great job extending the functionality of Jira Server and Data Center, and both offer many overlapping features. The pros I call out in the list below are a good—but not all-inclusive—tally of reasons why Isos Technology recommends Power Scripts over ScriptRunner for script creation in Jira Server and/or Data Center. Of course, there is a smaller list of cons when it comes to Power Scripts, but fortunately it only falls short in a few areas.
The Pros of Power Scripts
Easier/More Concise Programming Model
In most cases, when Isos has migrated clients to Power Scripts from ScriptRunner, the amount of lines of code is cut in half. Not only is there less code, but the code that remains is easier to read and understand.
Groovy Capable
If there is a reason you need to code a scriptlet in Groovy, you still have that ability with Power Scripts.
Stable APIs
SIL scripts (scripts created with the programming language of Power Scripts) do not operate directly against the Jira API but instead abstract those calls out. When Jira upgrades, the Power Scripts team takes care of updating the API calls instead of your team having to do the work manually.
Upgrade Faster
The "Stable APIs" mentioned above also mean that you can normally upgrade at a faster interval than with ScriptRunner. Also, SIL scripts are much more portable between Jira versions.
JQL Functions
Power Scripts offers more expressive built-in JQL functions than ScriptRunner.
External LDAP Access
SIL scripts are able to access LDAP servers other than the primary LDAP server.
Advanced Email Processing
Power Scripts offers enterprise-grade processing and reformatting of incoming and outgoing emails.
Script Organization
Power Scripts offers a nice and convenient way to organize your library of scripts and functions.
Great Company Support
CPrime is very good about responding to any issues regarding Power Scripts, or any of their other apps, for that matter.
Script Scheduler
The script cron scheduler in Power Scripts is top notch. If you need regularly-scheduled tasks done that Automation for Jira can't do, you'll love Power Scripts.
A Few Cons of Power Scripts
Community Support
Power Scripts is popular, but it doesn't (yet) have the same overall traction of ScriptRunner. It's gaining traction every day, however, and generally—because of Power Script's overall friendliness to the Atlassian community—it is not a big issue.
IDE Support
While the built-in IDE for Power Scripts is great for most use cases, Power Scripts' support for external IDEs is lacking.
Built-In Script for Administration
The suite of administration utilities in Power Scripts is lacking compared to ScriptRunner.
So there you have it. Power Scripts is Isos' choice for Jira Server and Data Center scripting. Reach out to us today if you need guidance with creating your next customized implementation of Jira using the Power Script suite. We're happy to help.
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