title: Issues with executing sonarQube on project Caused by: java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError: org/sonarsource/scanner/maven /SonarQubeMojo
body: <p>Im getting the below exception when executing the sonarQube on a project. when I try to run sonarQube on our project, we get the below unsupportedClassVersion Exception</p>
  
  <pre><code>D:\Repos\testPA\testPA&gt;mvn sonar:sonar
  [INFO] Scanning for projects...
  [INFO]
  [INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [INFO] Building testPA 1.0
  [INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [INFO]
  [INFO] --- sonar-maven-plugin:3.0.1:sonar (default-cli) @ testPA ---
  [WARNING] Error injecting: org.sonarsource.scanner.maven.SonarQubeMojo
  java.lang.TypeNotPresentException: Type org.sonarsource.scanner.maven.SonarQubeM
  ojo not present
          at org.eclipse.sisu.space.URLClassSpace.loadClass(URLClassSpace.java:115
  )
          at org.eclipse.sisu.space.NamedClass.load(NamedClass.java:46)
          at org.eclipse.sisu.space.AbstractDeferredClass.get(AbstractDeferredClas
  s.java:48)
          at com.google.inject.internal.ProviderInternalFactory.provision(Provider
  InternalFactory.java:86)
          at com.google.inject.internal.InternalFactoryToInitializableAdapter.prov
  ision(InternalFactoryToInitializableAdapter.java:54)
          at com.google.inject.internal.ProviderInternalFactory$1.call(ProviderInt
  ernalFactory.java:70)
          at com.google.inject.internal.ProvisionListenerStackCallback$Provision.p
  rovision(ProvisionListenerStackCallback.java:113)
          at org.eclipse.sisu.bean.BeanScheduler$Activator.onProvision(BeanSchedul
  er.java:176)
          at com.google.inject.internal.ProvisionListenerStackCallback$Provision.p
  rovision(ProvisionListenerStackCallback.java:122)
          at com.google.inject.internal.ProvisionListenerStackCallback.provision(P
  rovisionListenerStackCallback.java:68)
          at com.google.inject.internal.ProviderInternalFactory.circularGet(Provid
  erInternalFactory.java:68)
          at com.google.inject.internal.InternalFactoryToInitializableAdapter.get(
  InternalFactoryToInitializableAdapter.java:46)
          at com.google.inject.internal.InjectorImpl$2$1.call(InjectorImpl.java:10
  09)
          at com.google.inject.internal.InjectorImpl.callInContext(InjectorImpl.ja
  va:1059)
          at com.google.inject.internal.InjectorImpl$2.get(InjectorImpl.java:1005)
  
          at com.google.inject.Scopes$1$1.get(Scopes.java:59)
          at org.eclipse.sisu.inject.LazyBeanEntry.getValue(LazyBeanEntry.java:82)
  
          at org.eclipse.sisu.plexus.LazyPlexusBean.getValue(LazyPlexusBean.java:5
  1)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.DefaultPlexusContainer.lookup(DefaultPlexusContai
  ner.java:263)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.DefaultPlexusContainer.lookup(DefaultPlexusContai
  ner.java:255)
          at org.apache.maven.plugin.internal.DefaultMavenPluginManager.getConfigu
  redMojo(DefaultMavenPluginManager.java:464)
          at org.apache.maven.plugin.DefaultBuildPluginManager.executeMojo(Default
  BuildPluginManager.java:119)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor
  .java:208)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor
  .java:153)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.MojoExecutor.execute(MojoExecutor
  .java:145)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleModuleBuilder.buildProje
  ct(LifecycleModuleBuilder.java:116)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleModuleBuilder.buildProje
  ct(LifecycleModuleBuilder.java:80)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.builder.singlethreaded.SingleThre
  adedBuilder.build(SingleThreadedBuilder.java:51)
          at org.apache.maven.lifecycle.internal.LifecycleStarter.execute(Lifecycl
  eStarter.java:120)
          at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.doExecute(DefaultMaven.java:355)
          at org.apache.maven.DefaultMaven.execute(DefaultMaven.java:155)
          at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.execute(MavenCli.java:584)
          at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.doMain(MavenCli.java:216)
          at org.apache.maven.cli.MavenCli.main(MavenCli.java:160)
          at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
          at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.
  java:39)
          at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAcces
  sorImpl.java:25)
          at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:597)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.launchEnhanced(Laun
  cher.java:289)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.launch(Launcher.jav
  a:229)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.mainWithExitCode(La
  uncher.java:415)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.launcher.Launcher.main(Launcher.java:
  356)
  Caused by: java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError: org/sonarsource/scanner/maven
  /SonarQubeMojo : Unsupported major.minor version 51.0
          at java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass1(Native Method)
          at java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass(ClassLoader.java:620)
          at java.security.SecureClassLoader.defineClass(SecureClassLoader.java:12
  4)
          at java.net.URLClassLoader.defineClass(URLClassLoader.java:260)
          at java.net.URLClassLoader.access$000(URLClassLoader.java:56)
          at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(URLClassLoader.java:195)
          at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
          at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:188)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.realm.ClassRealm.loadClassFromSelf(Cl
  assRealm.java:401)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.strategy.SelfFirstStrategy.loadClass(
  SelfFirstStrategy.java:42)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.realm.ClassRealm.unsynchronizedLoadCl
  ass(ClassRealm.java:271)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.realm.ClassRealm.loadClass(ClassRealm
  .java:254)
          at org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.realm.ClassRealm.loadClass(ClassRealm
  .java:239)
          at org.eclipse.sisu.space.URLClassSpace.loadClass(URLClassSpace.java:107
  )
          ... 41 more
  [INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [INFO] BUILD FAILURE
  [INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [INFO] Total time: 2.454 s
  [INFO] Finished at: 2016-02-23T16:17:46+05:30
  [INFO] Final Memory: 6M/12M
  [INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  [ERROR] Failed to execute goal org.sonarsource.scanner.maven:sonar-maven-plugin:
  3.0.1:sonar (default-cli) on project testPA: Execution default-cli of goal
   org.sonarsource.scanner.maven:sonar-maven-plugin:3.0.1:sonar failed: Unable to
  load the mojo 'sonar' in the plugin 'org.sonarsource.scanner.maven:sonar-maven-p
  lugin:3.0.1' due to an API incompatibility: org.codehaus.plexus.component.reposi
  tory.exception.ComponentLookupException: org/sonarsource/scanner/maven/SonarQube
  Mojo : Unsupported major.minor version 51.0
  [ERROR] -----------------------------------------------------
  [ERROR] realm =    plugin&gt;org.codehaus.mojo:sonar-maven-plugin:3.0.1
  [ERROR] strategy = org.codehaus.plexus.classworlds.strategy.SelfFirstStrategy
  [ERROR] urls[0] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/sonarsource/sca
  nner/maven/sonar-maven-plugin/3.0.1/sonar-maven-plugin-3.0.1.jar
  [ERROR] urls[1] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/apache/maven/sh
  ared/maven-dependency-tree/2.2/maven-dependency-tree-2.2.jar
  [ERROR] urls[2] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/codehaus/plexus
  /plexus-component-annotations/1.5.5/plexus-component-annotations-1.5.5.jar
  [ERROR] urls[3] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/eclipse/aether/
  aether-util/0.9.0.M2/aether-util-0.9.0.M2.jar
  [ERROR] urls[4] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/sonatype/plexus
  /plexus-sec-dispatcher/1.4/plexus-sec-dispatcher-1.4.jar
  [ERROR] urls[5] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/sonatype/plexus
  /plexus-cipher/1.4/plexus-cipher-1.4.jar
  [ERROR] urls[6] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/codehaus/plexus
  /plexus-utils/3.0.22/plexus-utils-3.0.22.jar
  [ERROR] urls[7] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/org/sonarsource/son
  ar-runner/sonar-runner-api/2.5.1/sonar-runner-api-2.5.1.jar
  [ERROR] urls[8] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/commons-lang/common
  s-lang/2.6/commons-lang-2.6.jar
  [ERROR] urls[9] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/com/google/guava/gu
  ava/18.0/guava-18.0.jar
  [ERROR] urls[10] = file:/C:/Users/vb/.m2/repository/com/google/code/fi
  ndbugs/jsr305/2.0.3/jsr305-2.0.3.jar
  [ERROR] Number of foreign imports: 1
  [ERROR] import: Entry[import  from realm ClassRealm[maven.api, parent: null]]
  [ERROR]
  [ERROR] -----------------------------------------------------
  [ERROR] -&gt; [Help 1]
  [ERROR]
  [ERROR] To see the full stack trace of the errors, re-run Maven with the -e swit
  ch.
  [ERROR] Re-run Maven using the -X switch to enable full debug logging.
  [ERROR]
  [ERROR] For more information about the errors and possible solutions, please rea
  d the following articles:
  [ERROR] [Help 1] http://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/MAVEN/PluginContaine
  rException
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>We have installed Sonarqube 5.3 and when I try to execute sonar via command prompt, I get the above exception. Im able to launch sonarQube via <a href="http://localhost:9000" rel="noreferrer">http://localhost:9000</a> and able to view the sonarqube ui fine. </p>