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SonarCloud | Advanced setup | CI-based analysis | SonarScanner for NPM | Configuring the scanner

Configuring the analysis parameters for the SonarScanner for NPM

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The analysis parameters are various parameters used to set up the project analysis. The following applies:

  • A few analysis parameters are mandatory. 
  • Many analysis parameters, such as those defining the analysis scope, have a default value and can be adjusted. 
  • Other parameters allow you to include the code and test coverage in your analysis, or to import issues generated by a third-party analyzer, etc.

Introduction to the analysis parameters setup

The SonarScanner for NPM reads or receives parameters from different sources:

  • It gets analysis parameters through its APIs.
  • It reads analysis parameters from package.json.
  • It reads analysis parameters from environment variables.
  • It reads parameters from the sonar-project.properties file.
  • It gets the parameters that were set in the SonarCloud UI.
  • Some parameters are assigned a default value.

The table below lists the different configuration methods in the order of priority in which the SonarScanner for NPM processes the corresponding parameters. 

Priority (higher to lower)MethodDescription
1API parametersParameters can be provided to the scanner either through the JS code API or through the command line API.
2Environment variablesSome parameters can be stored in environment variables on the CI/CD host.
4Project configuration fileParameters can be defined in the sonar-project.properties file stored in the project root directory. 
3package.json The scanner reads some analysis parameters from fields of the package.json file.
5Default valuesSome parameters are assigned a default value. The parameters considered here are parameters that cannot be set in the UI.
6UIParameters can be set in the UI for a given project.

Analysis parameters read from package.json

The SonarScanner for NPM parses the NPM package.json file of the project to be analyzed and reads the value of the parameters below from the corresponding package.json field. For information about the listed analysis parameters, see Analysis parameters.

Analysis parameterpackage.json field
sonar.projectNamename
sonar.projectVersionversion
sonar.projectDescription description
sonar.links.homepagehomepage
sonar.links.issue bugs.url
sonar.links.scmrepository.url

In addition, specific values may be added to the parameters listed below if particular conditions are fulfilled.

Analysis parameterValue(s) added to Conditions
sonar.exclusions (see Analysis scope)
sonar.javascript.lcov.reportPaths (see Test coverage parameters)
nyc.report-dir and jest.converageDirectory directoriesIf an lcov.info file is specified in the package.json fields nyc.report-dir and jest.converageDirectory
sonar.testExecutionReportPaths (see Test execution parameters)Xunit.xml fileIf the package.json has declared the dependency mocha-sonarqube-reporter and the file xunit.xml exists in the project directory.

Preparing the analysis parameters setup

Depending on your tool environment and strategy, and on the analysis parameter (global or not, must be securely passed or not), you may choose one or the other setup method. 

All mandatory analysis parameters and some optional analysis parameters can only be set on the CI/CD host (i.e. they cannot be set in the UI). The Analysis parameters page lists these parameters and provides relevant information about each one. 

Providing analysis parameters through the scanner API

See Adding the analysis step to your build files or Starting the scanner from the command line in Using the SonarScanner for NPM.

Setting analysis parameters in environment variables

You can use environment variables on the CI/CD host to define analysis parameters:

  • Some parameters can be defined through a dedicated environment variable. For example, the sonar.host.url property value can be defined through the SONAR_HOST_URL environment variable. See the parameter lists in Analysis parameters to know which parameters can be set in an environment variable. 
  • The SONAR_SCANNER_JSON_PARAMS environment variable allows you to pass multiple analysis parameters in a single variable, encoded as JSON.

 Example:

SONAR_SCANNER_JSON_PARAMS = { “sonar.host.url”:”http://my.server”,  “sonar.verbose:”true”}  

Setting analysis parameters in sonar-project.properties

See Use in SonarScanner CLI.

Setting analysis parameters in the SonarCloud UI

You can set analysis parameters in the SonarCloud UI for your project provided you have Administer permission for this project. 

To set analysis parameters at the project level:

  1. Open the project in the SonarCloud UI.
  2. In the left navigation bar of the project page, select Administration > General Settings.

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