Embedded H2 Database
We ended support for the H2 database in Confluence 8.0. If you wish to continue your development cycle with the H2 database in Confluence 8.0 or later, you will need to upgrade to AMPS 8.6.0.
From Feb 2, 2021 (server end of sale date) you will only be able to generate Data Center evaluation licenses. This means the Confluence Setup Wizard won’t include an option to use an embedded H2 database.
On this page:
The embedded H2 database is only for testing and app development purposes on non-clustered (single node) Confluence Data Center installations.
To find out if you are still using the embedded database, go to Administration 
> General Configuration > Troubleshooting and support tools.
The embedded database files are stored in your Confluence home directory <confluence-home>/database.
Connect to the embedded H2 database using DB Visualizer
If you need to make changes directly in the database, and you're using the H2 database, here's how you can connect to it using DBVisualizer.
DBVisualizer is just one database administration tool. You can use any administration tool that supports embedded H2 databases. The steps will be similar.
- Shut down Confluence.
- Back up your
<confluence-home>/databasedirectory. - Launch DBVisualizer.
- Choose Create new database connection and follow the prompts to set up the connection.
The information you'll need is:- Database driver: H2 embedded
- Database Userid: sa
- Database password: leave this field blank
- Database filename:
<confluence-home>/database/h2db
leave off the .h2.dbfile extension.
- Connect to the database.
Refer to the DBVisualizer documentation for help using DBVisualizer.
Connect to the embedded H2 database using the H2 console
Alternatively you can connect using the browser based H2 console. The easiest way to access the console is to double click the H2 database jar file at <installation-directory>\confluence\WEB-INF\lib\h2-x.x.x.jar.
Remote connections
Remote connections to the embedded H2 database are not permitted. You can only connect to H2 from the server on which Confluence is installed.
Plugin vendors can connect remotely when Confluence is running in dev mode, but admins should not use this as a workaround, and instead should migrate to a supported external database.
Note: The H2 database doesn’t work on a multi-node Confluence cluster. A shared database is required for a multi-node cluster.
Migrate to a supported external database
If you're using the H2 database, but running Confluence as a production system, you should migrate to a supported database as soon as possible.
To migrate to a supported external database:
- Check Supported Platforms to find out which databases and versions are supported.
- Head to Migrating to Another Database for a step-by-step guide.