testcontainers/testcontainers-java · error · RuntimeException

Error while executing init script

Error message

Error while executing init script: ${scriptPath}

What it means

When session.execute("sql", script) throws UnsupportedOperationException (e.g. the OrientDB session/driver refuses the SQL script execution mode), loadScript rethrows it as RuntimeException 'Error while executing init script: <path>' with the original as cause.

Solutions

  1. Check the cause (UnsupportedOperationException) and make the script statements valid OrientDB SQL
  2. Split the script into statements your OrientDB version supports, or use a JVM driver call per statement
  3. Update the OrientDB container image/version to one matching the script syntax

Example fix

// before
// init.sql using unsupported gremlin syntax
CREATE CLASS Foo EXTENDS V; GREMLIN-style commands...
// after
CREATE CLASS Foo EXTENDS V;
CREATE PROPERTY Foo.name STRING;
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

// pre-validate script contains only supported OrientDB SQL statements before handing it to withInitScript

Try / catch

try {
    container.start();
} catch (RuntimeException e) {
    if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Error while executing init script")) {
        log.error("Init script rejected by OrientDB: {}", scriptPath, e.getCause());
    }
    throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Executing an init script whose statements or execution mode aren't supported by the OrientDB session — e.g. non-SQL script content against the 'sql' language, or a driver/DB version that doesn't support script execution.

Common situations: Feeding scripts with Gremlin/OrientJS-only commands into the sql executor; using a script written for a newer OrientDB version; init scripts with syntax the embedded server version rejects.

Understand the failure class

Background: Database query failed: Internal Server Error 500s wrapping SQL, Prisma, and connection failures — what to check first — this error's family across 16 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of testcontainers/testcontainers-java@8e549514e3 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7c23f2c7183dfc73. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at modules/orientdb/src/main/java/org/testcontainers/containers/OrientDBContainer.java:191

        try {
            URL resource = getClass().getClassLoader().getResource(path);

            if (resource == null) {
                LOGGER.warn("Could not load classpath init script: {}", scriptPath);
                throw new RuntimeException(
                    "Could not load classpath init script: " + scriptPath + ". Resource not found."
                );
            }

            String script = IOUtils.toString(resource, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);

            session.execute("sql", script);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            LOGGER.warn("Could not load classpath init script: {}", scriptPath);
            throw new RuntimeException("Could not load classpath init script: " + scriptPath, e);
        } catch (UnsupportedOperationException e) {
            LOGGER.error("Error while executing init script: {}", scriptPath, e);
            throw new RuntimeException("Error while executing init script: " + scriptPath, e);
        }
    }
}

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