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Configuring the analysis parameters for the SonarScanner for NPM

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 SonarQube UI.
Some parameters are assigned a default value.

It is recommended to set the analysis parameters in the SonarQube UI when possible because it allows a centralized, reliable, and user-friendly configuration. However, nearly all analysis parameters can be configured on the CI/CD host.

The table below lists the different configuration methods in the order of priority in which the SonarScanner for NPM processes the corresponding parameters. It also shows whether the parameters apply to all projects (global level) or to a given project.

Priority (higher to lower)	Method	Description	Global level	Project level
1	API parameters	Parameters can be provided to the scanner either through the JS code API or through the command line API.		x
2	Environment variables	Some parameters can be stored in environment variables on the CI/CD host.	x
4	Project configuration file	Parameters can be defined in the `sonar-project.properties` file stored in the project root directory.		x
3	`package.json`	The scanner reads some analysis parameters from fields of the package.json file.		x
5	Default values	Some parameters are assigned a default value. The parameters considered here are parameters that cannot be set in the UI.	(1)	(1)
6	UI (project level)	Parameters can be set in the UI for a given project.		x
7	UI (global level)	Parameters can be set in the UI for all projects.	x

(1) Depends on the parameter.

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 parameter	package.json field
sonar.projectName	name
sonar.projectVersion	version
sonar.projectDescription	description
sonar.links.homepage	homepage
sonar.links.issue	bugs.url
sonar.links.scm	repository.url

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

Analysis parameter	Value(s) added to	Conditions
`sonar.exclusions` (see Analysis scope) sonar.javascript.lcov.reportPaths (see Test coverage parameters)	`nyc.report-dir` and `jest.converageDirectory` directories	If 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` file	If 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.

To retrieve the sonar property key of a parameter set in the UI, go to the UI page where this parameter is set. The property key is displayed near the analysis parameter field. Note that it’s strongly advised not to define multiple-value and multiple-criteria parameters through sonar properties on the CI/CD host.

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”}

Parameters set through their respective environment variable (e.g. SONAR_HOST_URL) have precedence over parameters set through SONAR_SCANNER_JSON_PARAMS.

Setting analysis parameters in sonar-project.properties

See Configuring your project in SonarScanner CLI.

Setting analysis parameters in the SonarQube UI

You can set analysis parameters in the SonarQube UI at the global level (provided you have the global Administer permission) or for a given project (provided you have the Administer permission for this project). The project level has precedence over the global level, and parameters set on the CI/CD host have precedence over parameters set in the UI.

To set analysis parameters at the global level:

In the top navigation bar of the SonarQube UI, select Administration > Configuration > General settings.

To set analysis parameters at the project level:

Open the project in the SonarQube UI.
In the top right corner of the project page, select Project Settings > General Settings.

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