Install SonarQube on CentOS 7 with PostgreSQL & Apache

SonarQube is an open-source utility tailored for software quality management. Developed in Java, it accommodates various database systems. It allows for continuous code evaluation, monitors application health, and flags newly emerging code issues. Its analyzers are adept at identifying subtle problems and integrate seamlessly into DevOps pipelines.

This guide demonstrates how to install the current version of SonarQube on a CentOS 7 system.

Prerequisites

• A 64-bit CentOS 7 instance with a minimum of 2 GB RAM
• Access to a user with sudo privileges

Step 1: Update the System

Before proceeding with package installations, it's advisable to update the CentOS system. Use your sudo-enabled account to log in and execute the commands below to perform the update:

sudo yum -y install epel-release

sudo yum -y update

sudo shutdown -r now

Once the server restarts, log in again with the sudo user credentials to continue.

Step 2: Install Java

Begin by downloading the Oracle SE JDK RPM package:

wget --no-cookies --no-check-certificate --header "Cookie:oraclelicense=accept-securebackup-cookie" "http://download.oracle.com/otn-pub/java/jdk/8u131-b11/d54c1d3a095b4ff2b6607d096fa80163/jdk-8u131-linux-x64.rpm"

Then install it using:

sudo yum -y localinstall jdk-8u131-linux-x64.rpm

Verify Java installation:

java -version

Step 3: Install and Configure PostgreSQL

First, set up the PostgreSQL repository:

sudo rpm -Uvh https://download.postgresql.org/pub/repos/yum/9.6/redhat/rhel-7-x86_64/pgdg-centos96-9.6-3.noarch.rpm

Next, install the database server and tools:

sudo yum -y install postgresql96-server postgresql96-contrib

Initialize PostgreSQL with:

sudo /usr/pgsql-9.6/bin/postgresql96-setup initdb

Edit the authentication settings:

sudo nano /var/lib/pgsql/9.6/data/pg_hba.conf

Locate and modify the following entries:

# TYPE DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD

# "local" is for Unix domain socket connections only

local all all peer

# IPv4 local connections:

host all all 127.0.0.1/32 ident

# IPv6 local connections:

host all all ::1/128 ident

Change them to:

# TYPE DATABASE USER ADDRESS METHOD

# "local" is for Unix domain socket connections only

local all all trust

# IPv4 local connections:

host all all 127.0.0.1/32 md5

# IPv6 local connections:

host all all ::1/128 md5

Start and enable PostgreSQL service:

sudo systemctl start postgresql-9.6

sudo systemctl enable postgresql-9.6

Set a new password for the default postgres user:

sudo passwd postgres

Switch to the postgres account:

su - postgres

Create a dedicated PostgreSQL user for SonarQube:

createuser sonar

Open the PostgreSQL shell:

psql

Assign a secure password to the SonarQube user:

ALTER USER sonar WITH ENCRYPTED password 'StrongPassword';

Create the SonarQube database and associate it with the user:

CREATE DATABASE sonar OWNER sonar;

Exit the PostgreSQL interface:

\q

Return to the sudo-enabled user environment:

exit

Step 4: Download and Configure SonarQube

Start by retrieving the SonarQube installer archive:

wget https://binaries.sonarsource.com/Distribution/sonarqube/sonarqube-6.4.zip

You can always obtain the latest version from the official SonarQube downloads page.

Install the unzip utility with:

sudo yum -y install unzip

Extract the archive:

sudo unzip sonarqube-6.4.zip -d /opt

Rename the extracted folder:

sudo mv /opt/sonarqube-6.4 /opt/sonarqube

Edit the SonarQube configuration file:

sudo nano /opt/sonarqube/conf/sonar.properties

Locate the following lines and update them:

sonar.jdbc.username=sonar

sonar.jdbc.password=StrongPassword

sonar.jdbc.url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost/sonar

Step 5: Set Up Systemd Service

Instead of launching SonarQube manually each time, configure a Systemd service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/sonar.service

Insert the following configuration:

[Unit]

Description=SonarQube service

After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]

Type=forking

ExecStart=/opt/sonarqube/bin/linux-x86-64/sonar.sh start

ExecStop=/opt/sonarqube/bin/linux-x86-64/sonar.sh stop

User=root

Group=root

Restart=always

[Install]

WantedBy=multi-user.target

Start and enable the SonarQube service:

sudo systemctl start sonar

sudo systemctl enable sonar

To check the service status:

sudo systemctl status sonar

Step 6: Set Up Apache as a Reverse Proxy

By default, SonarQube runs on port 9000 locally. To expose it over port 80 using Apache, install the HTTP server:

sudo yum -y install httpd

Create a virtual host configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/sonar.yourdomain.com.conf

Add the following configuration:

ServerName sonar.yourdomain.com

ServerAdmin me@yourdomain.com

ProxyPreserveHost On

ProxyPass / http://localhost:9000/

ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:9000/

TransferLog /var/log/httpd/sonar.yourdomain.com_access.log

ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/sonar.yourdomain.com_error.log

Enable and start the Apache web server:

sudo systemctl start httpd

sudo systemctl enable httpd

Step 7: Adjust Firewall Settings

Allow HTTP traffic through the system firewall:

sudo firewall-cmd --add-service=http --permanent

sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Restart SonarQube:

sudo systemctl start sonar

Disable SELinux temporarily to avoid potential access issues:

sudo setenforce 0

SonarQube is now operational and can be accessed through:

http://sonar.yourdomain.com

Login credentials (default):

• Username: admin
• Password: admin

Once logged in, you can begin analyzing your source code continuously.

For Newer Versions

When installing SonarQube 7.1 or later, additional adjustments are needed due to Elasticsearch restrictions on root users:

• Update directory ownership:

chown -R sonar:sonar /opt/sonarqube

• Edit the sonar.sh startup script to run as the sonar user:

Update the line from:

#RUN_AS_USER=

To:

RUN_AS_USER=sonar

• Modify the systemd unit file to reflect the sonar user and group.

Conclusion

By following this comprehensive tutorial, you’ve successfully set up SonarQube on CentOS 7, integrated PostgreSQL, configured a systemd service, and established Apache as a reverse proxy. This configuration allows you to manage and evaluate code quality continuously in a production-ready environment. Don’t forget to secure your installation for long-term stability and compliance with best practices.