---
title: "What Happens When You Stop Using CMJ"
canonical: "https://support.appfire.com/space/SUPPORT/3046735900/What%20Happens%20When%20You%20Stop%20Using%20CMJ"
format: markdown
---
## Overview

Configuration Manager for Jira (CMJ) is an administrative tool that enables change promotion, configuration backup/restore, and environment synchronization across Jira instances. If a user stops using CMJ (uninstalls or lets the license lapse), several capabilities and safeguards are affected. This guide explains what changes, the associated risks.

## Scope and Audience

- Applies to: Jira Server/Data Center instances currently using CMJ for change management, backups, or migrations.
- Audience: Jira administrators, platform owners, change managers, and governance teams.

## Key Impacts

- No Snapshot-Based Configuration Backups: You lose the ability to create CMJ snapshots of Jira configurations (workflows, screens, schemes, custom fields, issue types, permissions, etc.) for point-in-time backup and audit.
- Loss of Differential Change Promotion: CMJ compares the source and destination Jira instances and applies only the required changes. Without CMJ, admins must manually replicate configuration changes, increasing human error and drift risk.
- Reduced Environment Parity: Keeping Dev/Test/Prod in sync becomes harder. Manual steps or ad-hoc scripts replace governed, auditable deployments.
- Weaker Auditability and Governance: CMJ provides deployment reports, dependency analysis, and change logs. Post-removal, justification and traceability of config changes are limited.
- Increased Migration Complexity: Project-level or system-level moves (e.g., consolidations, carve-outs, DC node replacements) become more complex without CMJ’s packaging and dependency checks.
- Higher Operational Risk Window: Hotfixes or rapid updates that previously relied on CMJ packages may require maintenance windows or higher validation effort.

## Functional Areas Affected

| **Area** | **What You Lose Without CMJ** |
| --- | --- |
| Configuration Backup & Restore | Snapshot-based, selective config backups and restores with dependency awareness. |
| Change Promotion (Dev→Test→Prod) | Automated differential deployments and validation reports. |
| Environment Synchronization | Consistent parity across environments through packages and comparisons. |

## FAQ

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### Will Jira continue to run if we uninstall or let CMJ expire?

Yes. Jira runs independently of CMJ. However, you lose CMJ-specific features immediately after uninstall or license expiry.
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<summary>Expand</summary>

### Can we restore a CMJ snapshot after removing CMJ?

No. CMJ snapshots require the app to be installed and licensed to apply or restore. Archive snapshots for record-keeping only.
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### Is there a direct Atlassian feature replacement?

No direct equivalent for CMJ’s packaging and dependency analysis exists.
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