# Scan your code with SonarQube [](https://github.com/SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action/actions/workflows/qa-main.yml) [](https://github.com/SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action/actions/workflows/qa-install-build-wrapper.yml) [](https://github.com/SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action/actions/workflows/qa-scripts.yml) [](https://github.com/SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action/actions/workflows/qa-deprecated-c-cpp.yml)
## A GitHub Action for SonarQube
This GitHub Action integrates continuous code quality and security analysis directly into your workflow. It scans your project with either [SonarQube Server](https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarqube/) or [SonarQube Cloud](https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarcloud/), helping you catch bugs, security vulnerabilities, and code smells automatically within your CI/CD pipeline. **This action is the official method for scanning C, C++, Objective-C, and Dart projects via GitHub Actions.**
### What is SonarQube?
[SonarQube Server](https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarqube/) and [SonarQube Cloud](https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarcloud/) are widely used static analysis solutions for continuous code quality, security inspection, and fix remediation.
The platform supports over in 30+ languages, frameworks, and IaC platforms, including Java, JavaScript, TypeScript, C#, Python, C, C++, and [many more](https://www.sonarsource.com/knowledge/languages/).
## Quick Start
### 1. Prerequisites:
You must have a project already set up on SonarQube Cloud or SonarQube Server. This action performs the analysis, but the project must exist on the platform to receive the results.
For more information, see [Key Requirements](#key-requirements).
### 2. Required variables:
The action needs two key variables to connect to the SonarQube instance and run the analysis. These should be stored as GitHub secrets or variables for security.
• `SONAR_TOKEN` : The authentication token required to access the SonarQube instance. This is a mandatory secret for all use cases.
• `SONAR_HOST_URL` : The URL of the SonarQube Server. This is required for self-hosted SonarQube Server but not needed for SonarQube Cloud.
For more information, see [Configuration](#configuration).
### 3. Quick Start Workflow Example (for SonarQube Cloud)
Create or update your CI pipeline to run the scan action:
```yaml
on:
# Trigger analysis when pushing to your main branches, and when creating a pull request.
push:
branches:
- main
- master
- develop
- 'releases/**'
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
name: Main Workflow
jobs:
sonarqube:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
# Disabling shallow clones is recommended for improving the relevancy of reporting
fetch-depth: 0
- name: SonarQube Scan
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@ # Ex: v4.1.0 or sha1, See the latest version at https://github.com/marketplace/actions/official-sonarqube-scan
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
```
Create a configuration file in the root directory of the project and name it `sonar-project.properties`:
```properties
sonar.organization=
sonar.projectKey=
# relative paths to source directories. More details and properties are described
# at https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/analysis-scope/
sonar.sources=src
```
For other workflows, see [Workflow Examples](#workflow-examples).
## Important: Special Cases and alternatives
This GitHub Action will not work for all technologies. If you are in one of the following situations, you should use the following alternatives:
* **Your code is built with Maven**. Read the documentation about our SonarScanner for Maven in SonarQube [Server](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/scanners/sonarscanner-for-maven/) and [Cloud](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/ci-based-analysis/sonarscanner-for-maven/).
* **Your code is built with Gradle**. Read the documentation about our SonarScanner for Gradle in SonarQube [Server](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/scanners/sonarscanner-for-gradle/) and [Cloud](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/ci-based-analysis/sonarscanner-for-gradle/).
* **You want to analyze a .NET solution**. Read the documentation about our SonarScanner for .NET in SonarQube [Server](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/scanners/dotnet/introduction/) and [Cloud](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/ci-based-analysis/sonarscanner-for-dotnet/introduction/).
**Do not use this GitHub action if:**
* You want to run the action on C, C++, or Objective-C projects on a 32-bits system - build wrappers support only 64-bits OS.
**If you want to use Software Composition Analysis (SCA)**
Dependency scanning with SonarQube Advanced Security SCA may not work correctly if scanning requires on-the-fly manifest file generation. See the SCA analysis environment requirement documentation for [Cloud](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-security/analyzing-projects-for-dependencies-sca#appropriate-environment) or [Server](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/advanced-security/analyzing-projects-for-dependencies#appropriate-environment).
## Key requirements
To use this GitHub Action you need to meet the following prerequisites for your choosen SonarQube platform.
### For SonarQube Cloud
* Create your account on SonarQube Cloud. [Sign up for free](https://www.sonarsource.com/products/sonarcloud/signup/?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=github&utm_campaign=sc-signup&utm_content=signup-sonarcloud-listing-x-x&utm_term=ww-psp-x) now if it's not already the case!
* [Set up a repository to be analyzed](https://sonarcloud.io/projects/create) in just one click.
### For SonarQube Server
* Your SonarQube Server instance must be accessible from GitHub, and you will need an access token to run the analysis (more information below under **Environment variables**).
* To run an analysis on your code, you first need to set up your project on SonarQube Server.
Read more information on how to analyze your code [here](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/devops-platform-integration/github-integration/introduction/).
## Configuration
### Action parameters
#### `projectBaseDir`
You can change the analysis base directory by using the optional input `projectBaseDir` like this:
```yaml
- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
with:
projectBaseDir: app/src
```
#### `scannerVersion`
In case you need to specify the version of the Sonar Scanner, you can use the `scannerVersion` option:
```yaml
- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
with:
scannerVersion: 6.2.0.4584
```
#### `args`
In case you need to add additional analysis parameters, and you do not wish to set them in the `sonar-project.properties` file, you can use the `args` option:
```yaml
- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
with:
projectBaseDir: app/src
args: >
-Dsonar.organization=my-organization # For SonarQube Cloud only
"-Dsonar.projectName=My Project"
-Dsonar.projectKey=my-projectkey
-Dsonar.python.coverage.reportPaths=coverage.xml
-Dsonar.sources=lib/
-Dsonar.tests=tests/
-Dsonar.test.exclusions=tests/**
-Dsonar.verbose=true
```
> [!NOTE]
> In version 6, the way the `args` option is handled has been changed to prevent command injection.
> As a result, we no longer support the full bash syntax.
> This means there is now a much more restricted use of quoting and escaping compared to older versions of the action.
> Example:
> ```yaml
> with:
> args: >
> -testing test
> -valid=true
> --quotes "test quotes" "nested \'quotes\'"
> -Dsonar.property="some value"
> "-Dsonar.property=some value"
> ```
> will be parsed as the following array of strings:
> ```
> [
> '-testing',
> 'test',
> '-valid=true',
> '--quotes',
> 'test quotes', # Surrounding quotes are removed
> 'nested \'quotes\'',
> '-Dsonar.property="some value"', # Internal quotes are NOT removed, contrary to the bash syntax
> '-Dsonar.property=some value', # This is the proper way to pass scanner arguments with spaces
> ]
> ```
#### `scannerBinariesUrl`
You can also specify the URL where to retrieve the SonarScanner CLI from.
The specified URL overrides the default address: `https://binaries.sonarsource.com/Distribution/sonar-scanner-cli`.
This can be useful when the runner executing the action is self-hosted and has regulated or no access to the Internet:
```yaml
- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
with:
scannerBinariesUrl: https://my.custom.binaries.url.com/Distribution/sonar-scanner-cli/
```
More information about possible analysis parameters can be found:
* in the [Analysis parameters page](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/analysis-parameters/) of the SonarQube Server documentation
* in the [Analysis parameters page](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/analysis-parameters/) of the SonarQube Cloud documentation
### Environment variables
- `SONAR_TOKEN` – **Required** this is the token used to authenticate access to SonarQube. You can read more about security tokens in the documentation of SonarQube [Server](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/user-guide/managing-tokens/) and [Cloud](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/managing-your-account/managing-tokens/). You can set the `SONAR_TOKEN` environment variable in the "Secrets" settings page of your repository, or you can add them at the level of your GitHub organization (recommended).
- `SONAR_HOST_URL` – this tells the scanner where SonarQube Server is hosted. You can set the `SONAR_HOST_URL` environment variable in the "Variables" settings page of your repository, or you can add them at the level of your GitHub organization (recommended). Not needed for SonarQube Cloud.
- `SONAR_ROOT_CERT` – Holds an additional certificate (in PEM format) that is used to validate the certificate of SonarQube Server or of a secured proxy to SonarQube (Server or Cloud). You can set the `SONAR_ROOT_CERT` environment variable in the "Secrets" settings page of your repository, or you can add them at the level of your GitHub organization (recommended).
Here is an example of how you can pass a certificate (in PEM format) to the Scanner truststore:
```yaml
- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
SONAR_HOST_URL: ${{ vars.SONAR_HOST_URL }}
SONAR_ROOT_CERT: ${{ secrets.SONAR_ROOT_CERT }}
```
If your source code file names contain special characters that are not covered by the locale range of `en_US.UTF-8`, you can configure your desired locale like this:
```yaml
- uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
SONAR_HOST_URL: ${{ vars.SONAR_HOST_URL }} # or https://sonarcloud.io
LC_ALL: "ru_RU.UTF-8"
```
## Workflow Examples
### For SonarQube Cloud
Project metadata, including the location of the sources to be analyzed, must be declared in the file sonar-project.properties in the base directory:
```properties
sonar.organization=
sonar.projectKey=
# relative paths to source directories. More details and properties are described
# at https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/analysis-scope/
sonar.sources=src
```
#### Standard Projects
For projects that:
- do not contain C, C++, or Objective-C, and
- for C, C++, Objective-C projects that don't use [Build Wrapper](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/languages/c-family/prerequisites/#using-build-wrapper)
the workflow, usually declared under `.github/workflows/build.yml`, looks like the following:
```yaml
on:
# Trigger analysis when pushing to your main branches, and when creating a pull request.
push:
branches:
- main
- master
- develop
- 'releases/**'
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
name: Main Workflow
jobs:
sonarqube:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
# Disabling shallow clones is recommended for improving the relevancy of reporting
fetch-depth: 0
- name: SonarQube Scan
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@ # Ex: v4.1.0 or sha1, See the latest version at https://github.com/marketplace/actions/official-sonarqube-scan
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
```
#### C/C++/Objective-C with Build Wrapper
For C, C++, and Objective-C projects relying on [Build Wrapper](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/languages/c-family/prerequisites/#using-build-wrapper) to generate the compilation database, the workflow requires additional steps to download the Build Wrapper and invoke it:
```yaml
# Trigger analysis when pushing to your main branches, and when creating a pull request.
push:
branches:
- main
- master
- develop
- 'releases/**'
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
name: Main Workflow
jobs:
sonarqube:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
env:
BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR: build_wrapper_output_directory # Directory where build-wrapper output will be placed
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
# Disabling shallow clone is recommended for improving relevancy of reporting
fetch-depth: 0
- name: Install Build Wrapper
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action/install-build-wrapper@
- name: Run Build Wrapper
run: |
# Here goes your compilation wrapped with Build Wrapper
# For more information, see https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-cloud/advanced-setup/languages/c-family/prerequisites/#using-build-wrapper
# build-preparation steps
# build-wrapper-linux-x86-64 --out-dir ${{ env.BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR }} build-command
- name: SonarQube Scan
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
SONAR_ROOT_CERT: ${{ secrets.SONAR_ROOT_CERT }}
with:
# Consult https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/scanners/sonarscanner/ for more information and options
args: >
--define "sonar.cfamily.compile-commands=${{ env.BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR }}/compile_commands.json"
```
See also [example configurations of C++ projects for SonarQube Cloud](https://github.com/search?q=org%3Asonarsource-cfamily-examples+gh-actions-sc&type=repositories).
### For SonarQube Server
Project metadata, including the location of the sources to be analyzed, can be declared in the file `sonar-project.properties` in the base directory:
```properties
sonar.projectKey=
# relative paths to source directories. More details and properties are described
# at https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/project-administration/analysis-scope/
sonar.sources=src
```
#### Standard Projects
For projects that:
- do not contain C, C++, or Objective-C, and
- for C, C++, Objective-C projects that don't use [Build Wrapper](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/prerequisites/#using-buildwrapper)
the workflow, usually declared under `.github/workflows/build.yml`, looks like the following:
```yaml
on:
# Trigger analysis when pushing to your main branches, and when creating a pull request.
push:
branches:
- main
- master
- develop
- 'releases/**'
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
name: Main Workflow
jobs:
sonarqube:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
# Disabling shallow clones is recommended for improving the relevancy of reporting
fetch-depth: 0
- name: SonarQube Scan
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@ # Ex: v4.1.0, or sha1, See the latest version at https://github.com/marketplace/actions/official-sonarqube-scan
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
SONAR_HOST_URL: ${{ vars.SONAR_HOST_URL }}
```
#### C/C++/Objective-C with Build Wrapper
This subsection would contain the more complex YAML configuration for projects that require the
build wrapper to generate a compilation database. The example would detail the three-step
process: checking out the code, installing the build wrapper, and then running the SonarQube
scan with the appropriate parameters.
For C, C++, and Objective-C projects relying on [Build Wrapper](https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/prerequisites/#using-buildwrapper) to generate the compilation database, the workflow requires additional steps to download the Build Wrapper and invoke it:
```yaml
# Trigger analysis when pushing to your main branches, and when creating a pull request.
push:
branches:
- main
- master
- develop
- 'releases/**'
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
name: Main Workflow
jobs:
sonarqube:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
env:
BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR: build_wrapper_output_directory # Directory where build-wrapper output will be placed
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
with:
# Disabling shallow clone is recommended for improving relevancy of reporting
fetch-depth: 0
- name: Install Build Wrapper
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action/install-build-wrapper@
env:
SONAR_HOST_URL: ${{ vars.SONAR_HOST_URL }}
- name: Run Build Wrapper
run: |
# Here goes your compilation wrapped with Build Wrapper
# For more information, see https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/languages/c-family/prerequisites/#using-buildwrapper
# build-preparation steps
# build-wrapper-linux-x86-64 --out-dir ${{ env.BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR }} build-command
- name: SonarQube Scan
uses: SonarSource/sonarqube-scan-action@
env:
SONAR_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SONAR_TOKEN }}
SONAR_HOST_URL: ${{ vars.SONAR_HOST_URL }}
SONAR_ROOT_CERT: ${{ secrets.SONAR_ROOT_CERT }}
with:
# Consult https://docs.sonarsource.com/sonarqube-server/latest/analyzing-source-code/scanners/sonarscanner/ for more information and options
args: >
--define sonar.cfamily.compile-commands="${{ env.BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR }}/compile_commands.json"
```
If you are using SonarQube Server 10.5 or earlier, use `sonar.cfamily.build-wrapper-output` instead of `sonar.cfamily.compile-commands` in the `args` property of the last step, as Build Wrapper does not generate a `compile_commands.json` file before SonarQube Server 10.6.
It should look like this:
```yaml
with:
args: >
--define "sonar.cfamily.build-wrapper-output=${{ env.BUILD_WRAPPER_OUT_DIR }}"
```
See also [example configurations of C++ projects for SonarQube Server](https://github.com/search?q=org%3Asonarsource-cfamily-examples+gh-actions-sq&type=repositories).
## Advanced Settings
### Self-hosted runner or container
When running the action in a self-hosted runner or container, please ensure that the following programs are installed:
* **curl** or **wget**
* **unzip**
### Additional information
The `sonarqube-scan-action/install-build-wrapper` action installs `coreutils` if run on macOS.
## Support & Community
To provide feedback (requesting a feature or reporting a bug) please post on the SonarSource Community Forum page for [SonarQube Server](https://community.sonarsource.com/tags/c/help/sq/github-actions) or [SonarQube Cloud](https://community.sonarsource.com/tags/c/help/sc/9/github-actions).
### License
Container images built with this project include third-party materials.
