How to Install IntelliJ IDEA on Fedora

Edited 2 weeks ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful and popular integrated development environment (IDE) for Java and other programming languages. It provides developers with tools and integrations for efficient coding. If you are using Fedora, a Linux-based operating system, you may want to install IntelliJ IDEA. This guide provides a comprehensive, step-by-step process for installing IntelliJ IDEA on Fedora, making sure you set everything up correctly. Let's move ahead and find out how you can run IntelliJ IDEA on your Fedora system.

Preparation before installation

Before you start installing IntelliJ IDEA, you need to make some preparations. These steps will ensure that your system is ready for installation:

• Make sure your Fedora has the latest updates. Keeping your system updated reduces the risk of problems during the installation process. You can update your system using the following command in the terminal:

sudo dnf update

• Make sure you have enough disk space. IntelliJ IDEA requires some storage space, both for the application and for the projects you will be working on.
• Installing the Java Development Kit (JDK) is recommended because IntelliJ is primarily a Java IDE and works best with a JDK. Make sure you have JDK 8 or newer installed. You can install the JDK using this command:

sudo dnf install java-11-openjdk-devel

Downloading IntelliJ IDEA

Now that your system is ready, the next step is to download the IntelliJ IDEA package.

1. Visit the official JetBrains website where IntelliJ IDEA is available. Use this URL: https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/
2. You'll see options to download the Ultimate and Community versions. The Ultimate version is a commercial version and has additional features, while the Community version is free and open-source, which should be enough for most users.
3. Click the "Download" button under the desired version of IntelliJ IDEA. This will download a tar.gz file containing the IntelliJ IDEA package for Linux systems.

Extracting the IntelliJ IDEA tarball

After downloading the tar.gz file, you need to extract it. You can do it like this:

1. Open your Terminal application. You can use Ctrl + Alt + T keyboard shortcut to quickly open the Terminal.
2. Go to the directory where the downloaded tar.gz file is located, usually the Downloads directory:

cd ~/Downloads

3. Use the tar command to extract the file. Replace ideaIC-2023.2.2.tar.gz with the actual file name you downloaded:

tar -zxvf ideaIC-2023.2.2.tar.gz

4. Once extracted, you will have a folder, usually named something like idea-IC-2023.2.2, containing the IntelliJ IDEA files.

Installing IntelliJ IDEA

After you remove IntelliJ IDEA, follow these steps to reinstall it:

1. Navigate to the extracted folder:

cd idea-IC-2023.2.2

2. In bin directory, you will find a script named idea.sh This script is used to start IntelliJ IDEA. You can run the script using the following command:

./bin/idea.sh

3. Running this command will launch IntelliJ IDEA. The first time you run it, you may need to go through some initial configuration steps, such as setting up UI themes and plug-ins.

Creating a desktop entry

For easy access to IntelliJ IDEA, it's a good idea to create a desktop entry. This way, you can open IntelliJ from your desktop or application menu without needing to run a terminal command every time.

1. When IntelliJ IDEA is open, you can create a desktop entry directly from the application. Go to Tools > Create Desktop Entry...
2. If you're asked for administrative permissions, you can enter your password.
3. Check the box to create a desktop entry for all users if desired.
4. Once that's done, you'll have a shortcut in the Applications menu to launch IntelliJ IDEA without using the terminal.

Configuration and setup

Once IntelliJ IDEA is installed, there are additional configurations you can make to help you get the most out of your development environment:

• Plugin Installation: IntelliJ IDEA supports a wide variety of plugins. You can manage plugins from the Plugins section in Settings to improve your development environment.
• JDK Configuration: Make sure the IDE recognizes the installed JDK by configuring it in the project structure settings.
• Version control: Set up a version control system such as Git, which is included in IntelliJ IDEA's setup, to efficiently manage your code repository.

Troubleshooting tips

There may be cases where you may encounter problems during the installation process. Here are some general troubleshooting tips:

• If the terminal does not recognize the ./bin/idea.sh command, make sure the path is correct and the script has execute permissions. You can change the permissions using:

chmod +x ./bin/idea.sh

• If IntelliJ IDEA does not start, check if Java is installed correctly. You can verify this by running:

java -version

• Make sure your operating system is up to date, including all packages and dependencies, which can be updated using sudo dnf update command.

Conclusion

Installing IntelliJ IDEA on Fedora involves several steps. However, by following this detailed guide, you can easily set up the IDE and configure it to optimize your programming experience. Whether you are a professional developer or a student, IntelliJ IDEA provides a feature-rich environment to build robust applications. After installation, explore various features such as plugins, version control, and setting customization to tailor the IDE to your needs.

Now that you've installed IntelliJ IDEA, you're ready to begin your programming journey on Fedora, equipped with one of the best development tools available.

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