---
layout: documentation
title: Installing Bazel on Ubuntu
---
# Install Bazel on Ubuntu
Supported Ubuntu Linux platforms:
* 16.04 (LTS)
* 15.10
* 14.04 (LTS)
Install Bazel on Ubuntu using one of the following methods:
* [Use our custom APT repository (recommended)](#install-on-ubuntu)
* [Use the binary installer](#install-with-installer-ubuntu)
* [Compile Bazel from source](install-compile-source.md)
Bazel comes with two completion scripts. After installing Bazel, you can:
* access the [bash completion script](install.md)
* install the [zsh completion script](install.md)
## Using Bazel custom APT repository (recommended)
### 1. Add Bazel distribution URI as a package source (one time setup)
```
echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://storage.googleapis.com/bazel-apt stable jdk1.8" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/bazel.list
curl https://bazel.build/bazel-release.pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -
```
If you want to install the testing version of Bazel, replace `stable` with
`testing`.
### 2. Install and update Bazel
```bash
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install bazel
```
Once installed, you can upgrade to a newer version of Bazel with:
```bash
sudo apt-get upgrade bazel
```
## Install using binary installer
The binary installers are on Bazel's [GitHub releases page](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases).
The installer contains the Bazel binary and the required JDK. Some additional
libraries must also be installed for Bazel to work.
### 1. Install required packages
```
sudo apt-get install pkg-config zip g++ zlib1g-dev unzip
```
### 2. Download Bazel
Go to Bazel's [GitHub releases page](https://github.com/bazelbuild/bazel/releases).
Download the binary installer `bazel-0.5.0-installer-linux-x86_64.sh`. This
installer contains the Bazel binary and the required JDK, and can be used even
if JDK is already installed.
Note that two other versions of the installer exist:
* `bazel-0.5.0-without-jdk-installer-linux-x86_64.sh`: version without
embedded JDK 8. Only use this installer if you already have JDK 8 installed.
* `bazel-0.5.0-jdk7-installer-linux-x86_64.sh`: last release compatible
with JDK 7.
### 3. Run the installer
Run the installer:
```bash
chmod +x bazel-0.5.0-installer-linux-x86_64.sh
./bazel-0.5.0-installer-linux-x86_64.sh --user
```
The `--user` flag installs Bazel to the `$HOME/bin` directory on your system and
sets the `.bazelrc` path to `$HOME/.bazelrc`. Use the `--help` command to see
additional installation options.
### 4. Set up your environment
If you ran the Bazel installer with the `--user` flag as above, the Bazel
executable is installed in your `$HOME/bin` directory. It's a good idea to add
this directory to your default paths, as follows:
```bash
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/bin"
```
You can also add this command to your `~/.bashrc` file.
Once installed, you can upgrade to a newer version of Bazel with:
```bash
sudo apt-get upgrade bazel
```