JetBrains CLion on Linux

In the world of programming, C/C++ is quite popular for lots of reasons – performance, flexibility, and other feature sets. These languages are applicable in tons of sections – the OS, drivers, software and what not?

If you’re on Linux, then learning them is way easier as almost every single Linux system comes up with a pre-installed C/C++ compiler (GCC or equivalent), so all you need is a suitable IDE to start working on. If you’re unsure whether your system has a suitable compiler or not, then run the following command –

gcc -v

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If the result is negative, then search for the suitable C/C++ compiler package for your Linux distro. In most cases, it should be named as “gcc”.

As of C/C++ IDE, there are numerous choices. How about JetBrains CLion? It’s one of the finest and sharpest, professional-grade IDEs in the market. CLion is a cross-platform tool. It’s a professional shareware tool. You can enjoy the full service for free up to 30 days. For further usage, you have to get a subscription.

Let’s check out CLion!

Getting CLion

For the Linux platform, CLion is available in 2 ways – snap and a compressed package.

Compressed package

Get CLion from JetBrains.

The total download is nearly 500MB. Depending on your internet speed, the download duration may vary.

After the download is complete, it’s time to run the following commands –

cd ~/Downloads/

tar -xvzf CLion-2018.3.1.tar.gz -C /opt

After the extraction is complete, it’s time to unleash the beast!

/opt/clion-2018.3/bin/clion.sh

This will start the basic installation of CLion.

Snap installation

I prefer this method than the previous one as installing and managing snap packages is easier than working with other package management system.

Get CLion snap.

sudo snap install clion --classic

Using CLion

Start CLion –

At first, select not to import settings.

Then, agree with the JetBrains user agreement.

You can choose whether you want to share usage statistics with JetBrains or not.

Now, it’s time to select your UI theme. I prefer the darker ones as they’re more comfortable when you’re looking at your code for a longer period of time.

You also have to select the C/C++ compiler you’d like to work with. My system only includes GCC, so it’s the only entry available. In your case, there may be more than one.