How to Install Swift on Ubuntu 24.04

Prepare Ubuntu

Your Ubuntu 24.04 system needs to be ready before you install Swift. First, check your Ubuntu release and codename using the ‘lsb_release -a’ command to confirm it’s version 24.04 with the codename ‘noble’. This ensures you download the correct Swift version.

Then, download the appropriate version of Swift for your system.

Run the command to verify the Ubuntu release and codename of your system.

lsb_release -a

If you run Ubuntu 24.04, the command should return release version 24.04 and codename noble.

After that, install these packages on Ubuntu.

sudo apt-get install binutils git gnupg2 libc6-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libedit2 libgcc-13-dev libncurses-dev libpython3-dev libsqlite3-0 libstdc++-13-dev libxml2-dev libz3-dev pkg-config tzdata unzip zlib1g-dev

Download Swift

Now that your Ubuntu system is prepared, you can download Swift for Ubuntu 24.04. Use the ‘wget’ command to grab the Swift 6.0.3 binary, or replace the version number with the latest release from the official Swift download site.

You can also use the command below to download Swift 6.0.3 binary. Replace the version number with the latest.

wget https://download.swift.org/swift-6.0.3-release/ubuntu2404/swift-6.0.3-RELEASE/swift-6.0.3-RELEASE-ubuntu24.04.tar.gz

Before you install, it’s important to download the Swift GPG key (a security key to verify package authenticity) for its packages. Run this command:

wget -q -O - https://swift.org/keys/all-keys.asc | gpg --import -
gpg --keyserver hkp://keyserver.ubuntu.com --refresh-keys Swift

wget https://download.swift.org/swift-6.0.3-release/ubuntu2404/swift-6.0.3-RELEASE/swift-6.0.3-RELEASE-ubuntu24.04.tar.gz.sig
gpg --verify swift-6.0.3-RELEASE-ubuntu24.04.tar.gz.sig

Finally, extract the downloaded installer and move the file into the /opt directory.

tar xzf swift-6.0.3-RELEASE-ubuntu24.04.tar.gz
sudo mv swift-6.0.3-RELEASE-ubuntu24.04/* /opt/swift

Configure Swift

After downloading and extracting Swift, you need to add it to your system’s PATH. This lets you run Swift commands from any directory. Use the ‘echo’ command to add Swift’s bin folder to your PATH and then ‘source’ your profile to apply the changes.

echo "export PATH=$PATH:/opt/swift/usr/bin" >> $HOME/.profile
source $HOME/.profile

To verify that Swift is installed and ready, run the command below.

swift --version

The command should return the current version that was installed.

You can start Swift by running the command below.

swift

That should do it.

Conclusion:

So, installing Swift on Ubuntu 24.04 gives you a powerful tool for cross-platform development. Here are the key takeaways:

• Versatility: Swift allows for developing applications across multiple operating systems, enhancing your ability to reach a broader audience.
• GPG Key Security: ⬇️ Downloading and verifying the Swift GPG key ensures the integrity and authenticity of your installation.
• Easy Installation: The installation process is straightforward, making it accessible for developers of all experience levels.
• Path Configuration: Properly setting the command PATH is essential for utilizing Swift commands seamlessly in your terminal.
• Ready for Development: Swift is instantly available to develop robust applications in a Linux environment after installation.

By following these steps, you can successfully leverage the capabilities of Swift on Ubuntu, expanding your development toolkit.