Exporting SonarQube Reports: PDF, HTML, and More

SonarQube has become a go-to platform for developers and DevOps teams aiming to maintain clean, high-quality codebases. It provides in-depth static code analysis, highlighting issues like bugs, vulnerabilities, and code smells before they cause real-world problems. However, the real power of SonarQube often lies in how you share and present these insights with your team, managers, or clients.

One of the most common needs is the ability to export a SonarQube report into formats like PDF, HTML, Excel, and more. In this blog, we will explore why exporting reports is important, different ways to export them, and best practices to make reporting efficient and meaningful.

Why Export SonarQube Reports?

Exporting SonarQube reports is useful for several reasons:

• Stakeholder Communication: Not every stakeholder can log into the SonarQube dashboard. Exported reports make it easier to share findings.
  
• Audit and Compliance: Many industries require proper documentation of code quality for audits.
  
• Offline Access: Teams can analyze reports without internet access or when SonarQube servers are unavailable.
  
• Archiving: Maintain historical snapshots of project health for future reference or legal purposes.
  

Default Reporting Options in SonarQube

Out-of-the-box, SonarQube’s interface is interactive but does not offer a direct “Download Report” button for PDFs or other formats. The dashboard itself is designed to be used live.

However, SonarQube provides Web APIs and marketplace Plugins to achieve report exports.

Methods to Export SonarQube Reports

1. Using the SonarQube Web API

SonarQube offers a rich set of REST APIs under /api/ that can pull metrics, issues, and project overviews.

You can create custom scripts to:

• Fetch project analysis data
  
• Compile it into a readable format (HTML, Markdown, or Excel)
  
• Convert it into a PDF using tools like Puppeteer (Node.js), wkhtmltopdf, or other converters
  

Example basic API endpoint:

ruby

CopyEdit

This returns JSON data that can be processed and rendered as you prefer.

2. Using the “Report Plugin” (Community and Commercial)

Several third-party plugins simplify the exporting process:

• SonarQube PDF Report Plugin (Community):
  
  • Exports project reports into PDF format.
    
  • Includes overview, issues list, and code metrics.
    
  • The basic version is free, while the premium version provides additional customization options.
    
• SonarCloud PDF Exporter:
  
  • Primarily available for SonarCloud, though alternatives are also available for on-premise SonarQube.
    
• SonarQube HTML Report Plugin:
  
  • Generates static HTML versions of your SonarQube dashboards.
    
  • Useful for hosting reports on intranets or sending via email.
    

3. Manual Export (Basic Method)

Although less elegant, you can manually:

• Screenshot key dashboards
  
• Export CSVs of issues and metrics from certain sections
  
• Paste the information into a custom template (Word, Excel, etc.)
  
• Convert manually to PDF for distribution
  

This is a good temporary workaround for smaller teams or occasional reports.

Best Practices for SonarQube Reporting

• Automate Where Possible: Use API scripts to automate regular exports (daily, weekly).
  
• Filter Relevant Information: Do not overload the report. Prioritise critical bugs, security vulnerabilities, and maintainability metrics.
  
• Visualise Trends: Include graphs showing trends over time to demonstrate improvement (or highlight regression).
  
• Secure Reports: If your reports contain sensitive codebase information, ensure they are stored and shared securely.
  
• Customise Reports for Audience: Developers may want detailed issue lists; executives may prefer summarized health overviews.
  

Future of SonarQube Reporting

As of 2025, SonarQube is increasingly focusing on integrations with DevOps pipelines and cloud-based reporting. Tools like GitLab, GitHub Actions, and Jenkins allow direct embedding of SonarQube results into pipelines, replacing the need for manual reporting in some cases.

Also, AI-based dashboards that summarize and predict code health trends are emerging, making the future of SonarQube reporting even more exciting.

Conclusion

While SonarQube does not offer direct, built-in PDF or HTML exports from the dashboard, there are robust solutions available. Whether through APIs, plugins, or custom scripts, exporting SonarQube reports ensures that quality checks are shared, reviewed, and acted upon effectively.

If you want to stay ahead in 2025 and beyond, mastering cloud computing and SonarQube reporting workflows is not just helpful—it is essential.