You signed in with another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You signed out in another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.You switched accounts on another tab or window. Reload to refresh your session.Dismiss alert
description: Installing the most widely used open-source GIS software on the most popular Linux distribution should be straightforward, yet it often raises questions and even problems. This guide walks you through the process so you can refer back to it whenever needed.
It may sound surprising, but installing the most widely used open-source GIS software on the most popular Linux distribution is still not as seamless as it should be. Even experienced users sometimes struggle with repository configurations, package dependencies, authentication keys and other system administration intricacies.
27
27
28
-
![Geographer taming a penguin](https://cdn.geotribu.fr/img/articles-blog-rdp/articles/2023/qgis_installation_ubuntu/geographe_contre_linux_dall-e.webp"Geographer taming a penguin - Credits: DALL·E"){: .img-center loading=lazy }
28
+
![Geographer taming a penguin](https://cdn.geotribu.fr/img/articles-blog-rdp/articles/2023/qgis_installation_ubuntu/geographe_contre_linux_dall-e.webp"Geographer taming a penguin - Credits: DALL·E 1"){: .img-center loading=lazy }
29
29
30
-
The challenge isn't just technical. QGIS's official installation documentation, while thorough, can be difficult to navigate for those who aren't developers or seasoned Linux users. Plus, regular updates and changes in the software lifecycle can introduce unexpected hurdles for everyday users.
30
+
The challenge isn't just technical. [QGIS's official installation documentation](https://qgis.org/resources/installation-guide/#debian--ubuntu), while thorough, can be difficult to navigate for those who aren't developers or seasoned Linux users. Plus, regular updates and changes in the software lifecycle can introduce unexpected hurdles for everyday users.
31
31
32
-
That said, there's no point in complaining, it’s free software and open-source contributors deserve appreciation, not frustration! Since I don't install or reinstall QGIS every day, I've put together this guide as a personal reference and to help others.
32
+
That said, there's no point in complaining, it’s free software and open-source contributors deserve appreciation, not frustration! And I speak from experience. :wink:
33
33
34
34
<!-- more -->
35
35
36
+
Since I don't install or reinstall QGIS every day, I've put together this guide as a personal reference and to help others. Given that this is a constantly evolving topic, I’ll try to keep this guide updated from time to time. However, feel free to [report issues](https://github.com/geotribu/english-blog/issues) or [suggest improvements](https://contribuer.geotribu.fr/edit/fix_content_from_website/).
37
+
36
38
[Leave a comment :fontawesome-solid-comments:](#__comments"Go to comments"){: .md-button }
37
39
{: align=middle }
38
40
@@ -41,42 +43,38 @@ That said, there's no point in complaining, it’s free software and open-source
41
43
## Prerequisites
42
44
43
45
- administrator privileges on your system
44
-
- an internet connection that allows access to <https://qgis.org/> and can handle a 1.5GB download
46
+
- an internet connection that allows access to <https://qgis.org/> and can handle a 1.5GB download without choking
45
47
46
48
----
47
49
48
50
## Choosing the right version
49
51
50
52
Before installing, you need to decide: which version of QGIS do you want?
51
53
52
-
Personally, I prefer installing**QGIS LTR (Long Term Release)** (version 3.34.15 at the time of writing) on **Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support)** (24.04.1 at the time of writing) using **the official QGIS package repository**.
54
+
Personally, I prefer opting for**QGIS LTR (Long Term Release)** (version 3.34.15 at the time of writing) on **Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support)** (24.04.1 at the time of writing) using **the official QGIS package repository**.
53
55
54
56
Yes, I value stability.
55
57
Yes, the [`ubuntugis-unstable`](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuGIS) repository lives up to its name.
56
-
No, non-LTR versions aren’t stable enough, especially before they reach at least six patch releases.
57
-
<!-- more -->
58
+
No, non-LTR versions aren’t stable enough, especially before they reach at least six bugfix releases (the last digit in the version number).
58
59
59
-
[Leave a comment :fontawesome-solid-comments:](#__comments"Go to comments"){: .md-button }
60
-
{: align=middle }
61
-
62
-
Sure, I don’t get the latest flashy features making the rounds on GIS news sites. My versions of GDAL and PROJ might be older than my kid, but my setup just works(tm).
60
+
Sure, I don’t get the latest buzzworthy features making the rounds on GIS news sites (like Geotribu). My versions of GDAL and PROJ might be older than my kids… but my setup works™. :sunglasses:
63
61
And I can focus on my work without worrying about the next update breaking something. :person_in_lotus_position:
> :person_juggling: Those who install non-LTR QGIS without patch releases :person_juggling:
68
66
{: align=middle }
69
67
70
-
!!! note "Version Availability"
71
-
The version of your Ubuntu distribution matters. Not all QGIS versions are packaged for all Ubuntu versions due to dependency constraints. For example, on Ubuntu 20.04, you won’t find QGIS versions beyond 3.22.
68
+
!!! note "Versions availability"
69
+
The version of your Ubuntu distribution matters. Not all QGIS versions are packaged for all Ubuntu versions due to dependency constraints. For example, on [Ubuntu 20.04](https://ubuntu.qgis.org/ubuntu-ltr/dists/focal/main/binary-amd64/Packages), you won’t find QGIS versions beyond 3.22.
72
70
73
71
----
74
72
75
73
## Installing dependencies
76
74
77
-
First, ensure your system is up to date and install essential packages:
75
+
First, ensure your system is up to date. Here, we're assuming you’re starting from a fresh system. If your machine is cluttered with old setups, consider [cleaning it up](#cleanup) before proceeding.
78
76
79
-
```sh
77
+
```sh title="Update your package lists and install the required tools"
The QGIS project maintains an official packages repository (PPA) for Debian-based distributions, including Ubuntu. To use it, we need to authenticate and configure it properly.
89
87
90
-
### Authentication key
88
+
### Authenticating the repository
91
89
92
90
To install anything from this repository, you need to be able to authenticate it to the system.
93
91
94
92
We start by downloading the PPA's authentication key and storing it in the appropriate system directory:
95
93
96
-
```sh
94
+
```sh title="Download and store the QGIS PPA authentication key"
deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/qgis-archive-keyring.gpg] https://qgis.org/ubuntu noble main
142
+
```
143
+
144
+
<!-- markdownlint-enable MD046 -->
145
+
146
+
#### Alternatively: the `qgis.sources` file
147
+
148
+
There is another way of referencing the repository in the list of sources: [the DEB822 format](https://repolib.readthedocs.io/en/latest/deb822-format.html), which aims to solve issues related to the historical one-liner. Well, don't mind, the information stored is the same, but not structured in the same way. Let's say it's the new way to format packages source files.
149
+
150
+
In this case, the repository is referenced in a `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/qgis.sources` file:
151
+
152
+
<!-- markdownlint-disable MD046 -->
153
+
=== ":person_in_lotus_position: QGIS LTR"
154
+
155
+
```sh
156
+
echo \
157
+
"Types: deb deb-src
158
+
URIs: https://qgis.org/ubuntu-ltr
159
+
Suites: $(lsb_release -cs)
160
+
Architectures: amd64
161
+
Components: main
162
+
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/qgis-archive-keyring.gpg" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qgis.sources > /dev/null
163
+
```
164
+
165
+
Then, verify that the file was successfully written:
0 commit comments