How to Install Apache Ant on Ubuntu Linux

Install OpenJDK 8

Apache Ant is a Java-based app, so you’ll need Java installed. First, download the Java 8 Development Kit: the official Oracle JDK or Open JDK.

For this tutorial, we’re going to install OpenJDK.

To do that, run the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt-get install openjdk-8-jdk openjdk-8-doc openjdk-8-jre-lib

After installing Java, you can verify it by running the commands below. The output should look something like this:

java -version

Output:
openjdk version "1.8.0_242"
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_242-8u242-b08-0ubuntu3~18.04-b08)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.242-b08, mixed mode)

Now you’re ready to install Apache Ant.

Install Apache Ant via Apt

Apache Ant comes via Ubuntu’s default repositories. However, the version in Ubuntu’s repositories might not be the latest. If you need the most current version, you’ll have to install it manually or use external software sources (third-party repositories).

To install Apache Ant using apt-get, execute the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ant

To verify if Ant is installed, use the commands below:

ant -version

It should output a similar line as below:

Output:
Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.5 compiled on March 28 2019

That’s how to install Apache Ant via Apt-get.

Install Apache Ant using SDKMAN

You can also install Apache Ant via the SDKMAN tool.

SDKMAN is a tool for managing parallel versions of multiple Software Development Kits on most Unix-based systems. You’ll need to install SDKMAN too.

Getting SDKMAN! set up on UNIX-like systems is quite simple.

Run the commands below to download and install.

sudo apt install curl
curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | sudo bash

After installing, you should see an output similar to the one below:

All done!
Please open a new terminal, or run the following in the existing one:

    source "/home/richard/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

Then issue the following command:
    sdk help
Enjoy!!!

Next, please activate it.

source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

Lastly, run the following code snippet to ensure that the installation succeeded:

sdk version

If all goes well, the version should be displayed. Something like:

==== BROADCAST =================================================================
* 2020-03-18: Gradle 6.3-rc-3 released on SDKMAN! #gradle
* 2020-03-17: Gradle 6.3-rc-2 released on SDKMAN! #gradle
* 2020-03-16: Leiningen 2.9.3 released on SDKMAN! #leiningen
================================================================================
SDKMAN 5.7.4+362

After installing SDKMAN, run the commands below to install Apache Ant.

sudo bash
sdk install ant

After installing, it should output a similar message as below:

Installing: ant 1.10.1
Done installing!
Setting ant 1.10.1 as default.

When finished, you can verify whether Ant is installed successfully or not by checking its version:

ant -version

Download and Install Ant Manually

If you want to download and install Apache Ant yourself manually, follow the steps below:

You can download the Ant distribution from the Apache Ant website. Currently, the latest release of Ant is version 1.10.7.

To download, run the commands below, then extract them.

cd /tmp
wget http://mirror.downloadvn.com/apache//ant/binaries/apache-ant-1.10.7-bin.tar.gz
sudo tar -xf apache-ant-1.10.7-bin.tar.gz -C /usr/local

This command extracts the Ant files into the /usr/local/apache-ant-1.10.7 directory.

Next, create a symbolic link to the Ant distribution by running the commands below.

sudo ln -s /usr/local/apache-ant-1.10.7/ /usr/local/ant

After that, create an Ant executable shell script file at the /etc/profile.d folder.

sudo nano /etc/profile.d/ant.sh

Please copy and paste these lines into the file and save it.

export ANT_HOME=/usr/local/ant
export PATH=${ANT_HOME}/bin:${PATH}

Save the file and exit.

After that, run the command below to activate the above environment variables.

source /etc/profile

You can verify the Ant version by running the commands below:

ant -version

Notice the latest version is now used?

Output:
Apache Ant(TM) version 1.10.7 compiled on September 1 2019

Conclusion:

In summary, installing Apache Ant on Ubuntu is a process that allows Java developers to automate their application development tasks effectively. Here are the key points to remember:

• Apache Ant is a powerful tool for compiling, assembling, testing, and running Java applications.
• You can install Apache Ant through various methods, including:
  • Using Apt from the default Ubuntu repositories.
  • Using SDKMAN, which offers a convenient way to manage multiple software development kits.
  • Manually ⬇️ downloading and 💿 installing Ant from the Apache Ant website for the latest version.
• Ensure you have OpenJDK installed, as it is a prerequisite for running Apache Ant.
• After installation, verifying the version of Apache Ant is essential to confirm successful setup.

By following these steps, you can efficiently set up Apache Ant on your Ubuntu system and enhance your Java development workflow.