Database Compatibility and License Scope Across Two Different SonarQube Versions and VMs

SonarQube Server / Community Build
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I have a query regarding version compatibility and licensing in a multi-VM setup. Currently, I have two different versions of SonarQube installed:

  • SonarQube 2025.1 on VM1
  • SonarQube 2025.3 on VM2

Both VMs are configured separately, and I have a valid Developer Edition license.

Here are the questions I need help with:

  1. Database Restoration Compatibility:
    I would like to take a database backup from the 2025.1 instance (VM1) and restore it into the 2025.3 instance (VM2).
  • Is it supported to restore a database backup from an older version (2025.1) into a newer one (2025.3)?
  • Will any issues occur due to version differences?
  1. License Scope Across VMs:
    Given that I have a Developer Edition license, can I use this same license on both VM1 and VM2 for this purpose (one for backup, one for restore/testing)?
  • Or is the license limited to a single running instance/environment?

I want to ensure there are no conflicts or database issues during this setup and transition. Kindly advise on best practices or limitations.

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi,

What you’re talking about is essentially a version upgrade.

When you spin the 2025.3 instance up, pointed to a copy of the 2025.1 DB, you’ll be prompted to run the schema upgrade, just like with any other upgrade.

Since these are licensed editions, there’s the little matter that the license is stored in the DB, and when it “wakes up” at a different JDBC URL, the license won’t work anymore. That should easily be solved by (re)applying the license for that server.

Ehm… no. As implied above, each instance should have its own, unique license. If this is not the case, please ping your sales contact.

 
HTH,
Ann