SonarQube part 2: Dealing with Shared Project Repos (and staying sane!) ??

Introduction

Juggling multiple code quality tools and intricate CI/CD pipelines can be a real headache. ?? Ever tried setting up multi-project key analysis in TeamCity, only to get tripped up by build-wrapper errors during SonarQube analysis? Yeah, we've been there.

This article dives into the nitty-gritty of these challenges, breaks down the root causes, and gives you practical solutions. If you're wrestling with these issues, you're not alone! Let's tackle them together. ??

Challenges Encountered

1. Multi-Project Key Analysis Configuration

Scenario:

Multiple teams or projects shared a common Bitbucket repository, but each had its own SonarQube project (identified by a unique Project Key) for tracking code quality metrics. TeamCity builds were triggered per Project Key, not per repository, leading to conflicts when merging code as analysis needed to be performed under the correct Project Key.        

Solutions:

• TeamCity Multi-Project Key Analysis: Configure TeamCity to run analysis for multiple SonarQube projects (using their Project Keys) in a single build execution, ensuring all relevant projects are updated.
• Aggregated SonarQube Project: Create a new SonarQube project encompassing all individual projects as sub-projects or modules, centralizing results but potentially requiring configuration adjustments.
• Webhooks/Custom Scripts: Use webhooks or scripts to manually send analysis results to additional SonarQube projects after each TeamCity build, offering a temporary workaround.
• Repository/Project Restructuring: Re-evaluate the repository and project structure, potentially giving each team or project its own branch or fork with an associated SonarQube project, simplifying analysis management but impacting collaboration.

1. Build-Wrapper Errors

Scenario:

During SonarQube CFamily analysis, the build encountered an error indicating that the build-wrapper-dump.json file was missing.        

Solutions:

• Build-Wrapper Verification: Ensure the build-wrapper is correctly configured and executed before the SonarQube Scanner.
• File Location: Configure the sonar.cfamily.build-wrapper-output property if the build-wrapper-dump.json file is generated in a non-default location.
• File Integrity: Prevent other processes from deleting or moving the file before SonarQube analysis completes.
• Permissions: Verify that the user running the SonarQube Scanner has read permissions on the build-wrapper-dump.json file and its directory.

Example TeamCity Multi-Project Key Configuration

# Step 1: SonarQube Scanner for Project A
- Runner type: SonarQube Scanner
- Configuration:
    - SonarQube server: [Your SonarQube server]
    - Project key: [Project Key for Project A]
    - Additional analysis parameters:
        - sonar.sources=. 
        - sonar.branch.name=[Branch name for Project A]

# Step 2: SonarQube Scanner for Project B
- Runner type: SonarQube Scanner
- Configuration:
    - SonarQube server: [Your SonarQube server]
    - Project key: [Project Key for Project B]
    - Additional analysis parameters:
        - sonar.sources=. 
        - sonar.branch.name=[Branch name for Project B]
        # ... other project-specific properties

# Repeat for other projects with their respective Project Keys and branch names        

Key Takeaways

• Effective Communication: Clear communication between teams is vital when implementing changes to CI/CD pipelines and code quality tools.
• Thorough Testing: Always test configuration changes in a non-production environment.
• Documentation: Maintain up-to-date documentation.
• Troubleshooting Resources: Utilize official documentation, support forums, and community resources.

Wrapping up! ??

Integrating different code quality tools and managing complex CI/CD pipelines can definitely be tricky. But with a bit of planning, smart configuration, and some good old-fashioned troubleshooting, you can definitely get things running smoothly. Hopefully, the solutions and insights we've shared here will help others who are facing similar challenges in their Bitbucket, TeamCity, and SonarQube setups. ??

Remember: Every situation is a little different, so specific solutions might vary. Always check the official documentation and don't be afraid to ask for help from the experts if you need it. ??

If you have any other questions or need something tweaked, just let me know! Happy coding! ??