This post shows students and new users how to install Eclipse IDE on Ubuntu Linux. Eclipse is a cross-platform, wildly popular Java-integrated development environment (IDE) that you can easily install and manage your Java-based projects.
Eclipse has plugins to extend its functionality to support programming languages such as PHP, JavaScript, C++, and more. If you want a simple-to-use IDE platform to build your next application, you might want to look at Eclipse.
Eclipse packages are available in Ubuntu default repositories. However, the version available in the default repositories are outdated. Below we’ll show you how to get the latest version installed easily.
Also, for students and new users learning Linux, Ubuntu Linux is the easiest place to start learning. Ubuntu is the modern, open-source Linux operating system for desktops, servers, and other devices.
For more about Eclipse, check its homepage.
To install Eclipse on Ubuntu, follow the steps below:
How to install OpenJDK on Ubuntu Linux
Because Eclipse is a Java-based IDE, you’ll need a Java runtime environment (JRE) to be installed to run it. You’ll need to install the OpenJDK package with JRE. If you haven’t installed OpenJDK, use the link below.
How to install OpenJDK on Ubuntu
After installing OpenJDK above, run the commands below to install JRE.
sudo apt update sudo apt install default-jre
The commands above will update the Ubuntu package index and install OpenJDK and JRE packages to support Eclipse.
How to install Eclipse from Snap
After installing Java JRE above, run the commands below to install Eclipse from Snap. Snaps are containerized software packages that are simple to create and install. Snap applications are packaged with all their dependencies to run on all popular Linux distributions from a single build, allowing them to update automatically and roll back gracefully.
sudo apt install snap sudo snap install --classic eclipse
The commands above will install the latest version of Eclipse from Snap.
When you run the commands above, after a successful installation, you should get a similar message as the one below.
eclipse 2019-12 from Snapcrafters installed
Once the installation is done, you can start typing Eclipse in your terminal or clicking the Netbeans icon from Activities -> Eclipse.
How to install Eclipse manually on Ubuntu
If the first method above is not what you want, you can manually download the Eclipse installer and install the package. Eclipse has an installer you can use to install it on Ubuntu Linux.
First, go to the link below to download the installer. At the time of this post, the current version is 2021-09.
When you click the Download link to download the installer, it will ask what to do with the file. Choose the save option. By default, when you download via Firefox, it automatically saves in your Downloads folder.
Once the file is downloaded and saved in your Downloads folder, run the commands below to extract it.
tar xfz ~/Downloads/eclipse-inst-jre-linux64.tar.gz
After extracting the file, run the commands below to launch the installation wizard. The installer will help you install the version.
~/eclipse-installer/eclipse-inst
Choose the package you want to install for the language you will build your programs.
On the next screen, choose the version of OpenJDK installed using the drop-down option. The install installation folder can remain the default.
After a brief moment, the installation should be complete and Eclipse ready to be used. Click the Launch button to open Eclipse.
If you installed it via the manual option, you might need to create a desktop icon to launch the program. You can run the commands below to create a simple desktop icon for Eclipse.
nano ~/Desktop/eclipse.desktop
Next, copy and paste the content below into the file and save
[Desktop Entry] Type=Application Terminal=false Encoding=UTF-8 Version=1.1 Name=Eclipse IDE for Java Developers - 2021-09 Exec=env GTK_IM_MODULE=ibus /home/richard/eclipse/java-2021-09/eclipse/eclipse Categories=Development;IDE; Icon=/home/richard/eclipse/java-2021-09/eclipse/icon.xpm
Save the file and exit.
Then run the commands below to make it executable.
chmod +x ~/Desktop/eclipse.desktop
Replace the highlighted username (richard) with your account name. Also, the Exec = location and icon.xpm should depend on where Eclipse got installed on your system.
Save the file and exit.
If that doesn’t work, right-click the icon on the Desktop and select Allow Launching.
That will allow you to launch Eclipse from your Desktop.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
This post showed you how to install Eclipse on Ubuntu Linux. Please use the comment form below if you find any errors above or have something to add.
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