ITReport uses python-jira, so it can use the .netrc file too.
The easiest setup is:
Get an api token. If you are using Jira Cloud, you can get it at https://id.atlassian.com/manage/api-tokens
Edit the ~/.netrc file with an entry like:
machine <uri to your jira instance> login <your username> password <the jira token>
example:
machine example.atlassian.net login fubar@example.org password ASDFHUdflasfj867ua
Install itreport:
pip install itreport
This installs some scripts:
Dumps jira issues, authors and more into yaml files.
Example:
itr-jiradump --server example.atlassian.net --project EX
Applies some templates in order to generate a final report.
Example:
itreport -t issue.rst -vvv