Running Metabase from the JAR File
Terminal — start Metabase $ java -jar metabase.jar INFO metabase.core Starting Metabase ... INFO metabase.core Metabase Initialization COMPLETE Serving on http://localhost:3000 Metabase is an open-source business intelligence tool, and the quickest way to run it on your own machine is the self-contained JAR. No installer, no Docker, just Java and a single file. This tutorial covers downloading the JAR, running it, and the common issues you may hit on the first launch. Step 1: Install Java The Metabase JAR needs a Java runtime. A current build requires Java 21 or higher (older Metabase versions ran on Java 8 or 11). It works with both OpenJDK and Oracle JDK. Check what you have: java -version If Java is missing or too old, install a JDK. On macOS with Homebrew: brew install openjdk@21 On Debian or Ubuntu, sudo apt install openjdk-21-jre works. Always confirm the required version on the official download page, since it changes between Metabase releases. Step 2: Download the JAR...