Install Liquibase on Linux/Unix

Last updated: September 2, 2025

Before you begin

Confirm that Java is installed. If you use the Liquibase Installer, Java is included automatically.

Procedure

1

Download Liquibase.

2

Select download to run the installer.

If the Liquibase Installer does not start automatically after downloading, locate the Installer file in your Downloads directory and run it.

Note: If you downloaded a .zip or .tar.gz archive instead of using the Installer, extract it to a local directory.

3

Apply your Liquibase Secure license key.

Using a Secrets Management tool like Hashicorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager is best to keep Liquibase license keys secure.

There are several ways to apply the Liquibase Secure license key:

Include the Liquibase Secure license key in the Liquibase properties file and save it.

For example:

liquibase.licenseKey: aei76ou32thp785463214

4

Add Liquibase to your system PATH.

To run Liquibase commands from any terminal window, you must add the Liquibase /bin directory to your system PATH. For detailed instructions, macOS, Linux, and Unix users can use this guide to adding a directory to your PATH.

When following the guide, be sure to:

  • Use the full path to the /bin directory inside the folder where you extracted. For example: /usr/local/liquibase/bin

  • Add the export line to your shell config file:

~/.zshrc if you're using Zsh (default on macOS 10.15+)

~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile if you're using Bash (common on Linux and other Unix systems)

Example line to add:

export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/liquibase/bin"

After saving the file, apply your changes by restarting your terminal or running:

source ~/.zshrc # or ~/.bashrc

5

Verify Liquibase has been added to your system PATH.

Once added, open a new Command Prompt and run:

liquibase --version

If it returns the version number, Liquibase is installed and ready to use.