How To Install GCC on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
In this tutorial, we will show you how to install GCC on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. For those of you who didn’t know, GCC, short for GNU Compiler Collection, is an open-source compiler system that supports multiple programming languages. It is a crucial tool for software developers, as it allows them to translate high-level programming languages into machine-readable code that can be executed by a computer. GCC is known for its portability, meaning it can be used on various operating systems and architectures, making it a popular choice among developers.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the GCC “GNU Compiler Collection” on Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish). You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu 22.04 and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop!_OS, and more as well.
Prerequisites
- A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu 22.04, 20.04, and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
- It’s essential to have a basic understanding of Terminal commands. This guide assumes you are familiar with navigating and executing commands in the Terminal.
- A
non-root sudo useror access to theroot user. We recommend acting as anon-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.
Install GCC on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish
Step 1. Before we begin the installation process, let’s ensure that your Ubuntu 22.04 LTS system meets the necessary requirements. First, make sure your system has enough storage space and memory to accommodate GCC and its dependencies. Additionally, it’s recommended to update your system’s package lists and upgrade any outdated packages using the following commands:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
This step ensures that you have the latest security patches and bug fixes, which can prevent potential issues during the installation process.
Step 2. Installing GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) on Ubuntu 22.04.
By default, the GCC is available on Ubuntu 22.04 base repository. Now run the following command below to install the latest version of GCC to your Ubuntu system:
sudo apt install build-essential manpages-dev
*Note: manpages-dev is just to provide Manual pages about using GNU/Linux for development.
After installation, you can verify the GCC version to confirm a successful installation:
gcc --version
Step 3. Managing GCC Versions.
Different projects may require different versions of GCC. Ubuntu allows the installation of multiple GCC versions and switching between them using the update-alternatives tool. To install additional versions of GCC and G++, you can use:
sudo apt install gcc-8 g++-8 gcc-9 g++-9
To manage different versions, set up alternatives:
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-8 8 sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-9 9
And to switch between them:
sudo update-alternatives --config gcc
Step 4. Compile a Hello World Example.
To test the C compiler, now we create a small program like the below:
nano hello.c
Add the following file:
// hello.c
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
printf("Hello, world!\n");
return 0;
}
Next, compile this file with GCC:
gcc hello.c -o hello ./hello
Output:
Hello World!
Congratulations! You have successfully installed GCC. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Inkscape GNU Compiler Collection / GCC on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official GCC website.
