How to set up a development environment for Java on Ubuntu¶
Java is a popular programming language supported on many platforms. This article provides guidance on how to install the Java toolchain and development environment on Ubuntu.
Installing Eclipse IDE¶
The quickest way to start developing Java code on Ubuntu is to install Eclipse IDE – the
snap install eclipse --classic
Run eclipse to start the IDE.
Installing Java Development Kit¶
To install the default Java Development Kit for your Ubuntu release, run:
sudo apt install default-jdk
Short Term Support Java releases¶
Latest or early access releases are available in the latest development release of Ubuntu. For example, to install the early access Ubuntu archive version of OpenJDK 24, use:
sudo apt install openjdk-24-jdk
Latest or early-access releases are also available through the community maintained OpenJDK snap package.
To install the latest early-access release, run:
sudo snap install openjdk --channel=edge
To install the latest release, run:
sudo snap install openjdk --channel=stable
Long Term Support Java releases¶
The Ubuntu Archive provides packages for all supported LTS releases of OpenJDK - an open-source implementation of Java Platform, Standard Edition. OpenJDK 17 and 21 TCK (Technology Compatibility Kit) is certified on Ubuntu 24.04.
To install OpenJDK, run:
sudo apt install openjdk-<version>-jdk
For example, to install the latest LTS release, use:
sudo apt install openjdk-21-jdk
Java IDEs¶
A number of IDEs are available for Java development on Ubuntu:
- Eclipse
sudo snap install eclipse --classic
- IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition
sudo snap install intellij-idea-community --classic
- Visual Studio Code with Extension Pack for Java
sudo snap install code --classic
- Android Studio
sudo snap install android-studio --classic
What next¶
See the tutorial introducing the use of Java and related tooling: Develop with Java on Ubuntu.