# Install self-hosted IQ Server

In this section, you'll find documentation on how to install self-hosted instances of Sonatype IQ Server.

Users of [Lifecycle Cloud](https://help.sonatype.com/en/sonatype-cloud.html "Sonatype Cloud") may refer to [Feature Parity with Sonatype Cloud](https://help.sonatype.com/en/feature-parity-with-sonatype-cloud.html "Feature Parity with Sonatype Cloud") for details of which documentation applies to their deployment.

## IQ Server installation checklist

- Review the [IQ Server System Requirements](https://help.sonatype.com/en/system-requirements.html "IQ Server System Requirements") and the [Sonatype Container Deployment - Lifecycle](https://help.sonatype.com/en/container-deployments.html "Sonatype Container Deployment - Lifecycle") options.
- For High-Availability architecture diagrams see [IQ Server High Availability Installation](https://help.sonatype.com/en/iq-server-high-availability-installation.html "IQ Server High Availability Installation").
- Setting up the database - see [External Database Configuration](https://help.sonatype.com/en/external-database-configuration.html "External Database Configuration")
- Production servers need to be configured as a service. See [Run IQ Server as a Service](https://help.sonatype.com/en/run-iq-server-as-a-service.html "Run IQ Server as a Service")
- The first time you log in you are required to install the [Product License](https://help.sonatype.com/en/product-license.html "Product License")
- Document your steps and configuration settings for upgrades and backups

## Default credentials

The default server credentials are the user `admin` with the password `admin123`

The `Change Administrator Password` notice will remain in the UI until the default password has been modified.

**Note**
The standalone tarball download for IQ Server will be deprecated and removed on May 31, 2026.

Sonatype recommends using the bundle download, which supports both new installations and upgrades and includes a supported JDK.

## Installation

The steps throughout the documentation refer to storing the server installation files in the server's `/opt` directory. You may use a different directory, however, we recommend documenting any changes in your internal notes.

**Download the bundle (recommended):**

Download the latest IQ Server bundle from [Download and Compatibility](https://help.sonatype.com/en/download-and-compatibility.html).

The bundle supports:

- New installations.
- Upgrades from existing installations.
- A bundled, supported JDK.

If you prefer to use your own Java version, you may extract the IQ Server JAR from the bundle and run it with your preferred JDK. This is the recommended workaround for customers who require a commercial or custom JDK.

**To Install the server:**

1. Create a directory for the installation and move the bundle archive into the folder:

```
   cd /opt
   mkdir nexus-iq-server
   mv ~/Downloads/nexus-iq-server-bundle* nexus-iq-server/
   cd nexus-iq-server
   ```

2. From the directory, extract the bundle archive:

```
   unzip nexus-iq-server-bundle*.zip
   ```

See [IQ Server Directory and Files](https://help.sonatype.com/en/iq-server-directory-and-files.html "IQ Server Directory and Files") for details on the installation folder contents

## Initialization

Use the following command to start the IQ Server using the configuration from the [Config YAML](https://help.sonatype.com/en/config-yaml.html) file. The output is logged to the console and errors will be recorded in the `stderr.log` file.

The bundle includes a supported Java runtime. Use the provided startup script to start IQ Server.

```
cd /opt/nexus-iq-server
./bin/nexus-iq-server server start
```

**Note**
IQ Server 204 requires Java 25. If you use an external Java runtime, ensure that Java 25 is used. Customers using the bundled download can start IQ Server with the provided startup script.

Linux requires a `User` to start the server. See [Run IQ Server as a Service](https://help.sonatype.com/en/run-iq-server-as-a-service.html "Run IQ Server as a Service") for details and examples.

A successful start will result in a console message similar to the following:

```
... [main] org.eclipse.jetty.server.AbstractConnector - Started InstrumentedBlockingChannelConnector@0.0.0.0:8070
... [main] org.eclipse.jetty.server.AbstractConnector - Started SocketConnector@0.0.0.0:8071
```

**Java options:**
The start command may be modified by adding Java configuration parameters.

```
JAVA_OPTIONS="-Djava.util.prefs.userRoot=./sonatype-work/javaprefs -Djava.io.tmpdir=/path/to/tmpdir"
export JAVA_OPTIONS
./bin/nexus-iq-server server start
```

## If you use automation

If you have automated the tarball download, update your automation to use the bundle download location.

## Automatic Shutdown on Errors

In rare circumstances, unrecoverable errors may occur that lead the system to shut down to preserve a valid system state and avoid data corruption resulting from continuing in an undefined state. When the IQ server encounters a fatal `java.lang.Error` you will see these errors in the `clm-server.log` and `stderr.log` files listed as the following:

```
Exiting on fatal error, see https://help.sonatype.com/display/NXIQ/Automatic+Shutdown+on+Errors for details.
```

We recommend configuring the [IQ server to run as a service](https://help.sonatype.com/en/run-iq-server-as-a-service.html "Run IQ Server as a Service") so the service will restart automatically; avoiding a prolonged outage.

To bypass the IQ Server automatically shutting down on a fatal error, include the following property in the `config.yml`:

```
exitOnFatalError: false
```

**Warning**
Administrators should not change this property unless advised by the Sonatype support team.