Install Liquibase on macOS
Last updated: September 2, 2025
Before you begin
Confirm that Java is installed. If you use the Liquibase Installer, Java is included automatically.
Procedure
Download Liquibase.
Use our Liquibase Secure installer.
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.
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
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
/bindirectory inside the folder where you extracted. For example:/usr/local/liquibase/binAdd 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
Verify Liquibase has been added to your system PATH.
Once added, open a new Command Prompt and run:
liquibase --versionIf it returns the version number, Liquibase is installed and ready to use.