Retrieving Epic Names from Jira REST API Queries

Other Questions Jira
1

I’m working with the Jira REST API and need help extracting Epic names from my queries. Currently I can successfully retrieve task details, assignees, start dates, and end dates, but the Epic names are not showing up in my results.

I’m using these API endpoints to get backlog information:

https://myserver/rest/api/latest/
project in (ProjectA,ProjectB,ProjectC) & sprint in openSprints()

https://myserver/rest/api/latest/
project in (ProjectA,ProjectB,ProjectC) & issuetype != Epic & resolution = Unresolved & (Sprint = EMPTY OR Sprint not in (openSprints())) & assignee != null

Despite these queries working for other fields, I cannot figure out how to include Epic names in the response. What am I missing in my API call to get this information?

2

Epic names are a pain with Jira’s REST API - it’s a two-step process. When you pull issues, the Epic Link field only gives you the Epic’s key, not the actual name. You’ll need a separate API call to get the Epic details using that key. I’ve been through this before and batching the Epic lookups is way more efficient than individual calls. You can also try the &expand=names parameter in your initial query to get field names in the response metadata. But you’ll still need to parse the Epic Link value and hit /rest/api/latest/issue/{epic-key} to grab the actual Epic summary/name. The Epic Link field just has the issue key reference - not the readable Epic title.

3

You’re missing the Epic Link field in your field expansion. Epic names don’t come back by default in Jira REST API responses - you’ve got to ask for them explicitly. Add &fields=*all to your query, or better yet, include the Epic Link field directly (usually customfield_10014, but this can vary). You can also be more selective with &fields=summary,assignee,customfield_10014. Make sure you’re hitting the /search endpoint too, not just the base API URL. I hit this exact problem last year. Epic info lives in a custom field reference, not a standard field, so basic queries won’t pull it. Check with your Jira admin to get the right custom field ID for Epic Link in your setup.

4

check your jira config first - the epic link might be disabled or hidden. try using /rest/api/2/search instead of /latest/ since some epic stuff works better with api v2. in my experience, the epic name usually shows up in the parent field when you expand it right, not just the epic link field.