How to install Intellij IDEA on Debian?

IntelliJ IDEA is JetBrains' flagship IDE for Java, Kotlin, and other JVM-based languages. If you're running a Linux VPS on Debian, you can install IntelliJ IDEA using Snap or manually via the official tar archive. This guide covers both methods for the Community (free) and Ultimate (paid) editions.

Step 1: Update Your Debian System

Start by refreshing your package lists and applying any pending updates.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This keeps your system stable and prevents conflicts when adding new software.

Step 2: Install Snap on Debian

Unlike Ubuntu, Debian does not ship with Snap pre-installed. You need to install snapd manually before you can use it.

sudo apt install snapd -y

Once installed, enable and start the Snap service:

sudo systemctl enable --now snapd

Then install the Snap core package to ensure everything is wired up correctly:

sudo snap install core

If you see a warning about the Snap socket not being available, reboot your server and try again:

sudo reboot

Step 3: Install IntelliJ IDEA via Snap

With Snap ready, install the edition you need.

To install the Community Edition (free):

sudo snap install intellij-idea-community --classic

To install the Ultimate Edition (paid / trial available):

sudo snap install intellij-idea-ultimate --classic

The --classic flag is required because IntelliJ IDEA needs unrestricted access to your system's Java runtime and project files outside the Snap sandbox.

Step 4: Verify the Installation

Confirm the package was installed and is active:

snap list intellij-idea-community

Or for Ultimate:

snap list intellij-idea-ultimate

You should see the installed version number listed with a status of active.

Step 5: Launch IntelliJ IDEA

If your Debian VPS has a graphical desktop environment running, launch IntelliJ IDEA directly from the terminal:

intellij-idea-community

Or for Ultimate:

intellij-idea-ultimate

If you're on a headless VPS without a desktop environment, you'll need to connect via X11 forwarding (ssh -X user@your-server-ip) or set up a remote desktop solution such as VNC before launching the IDE.

Alternative: Install IntelliJ IDEA via Tar Archive

If you'd rather not use Snap, you can install IntelliJ IDEA manually using the official .tar.gz archive from JetBrains. This method works on any Debian system regardless of Snap availability.

Download the archive (replace the version number with the latest from the JetBrains website):

wget https://download.jetbrains.com/idea/ideaIC-2024.1.tar.gz

Extract it to /opt:

sudo tar -xzf ideaIC-2024.1.tar.gz -C /opt/

Navigate into the extracted directory and run the startup script:

cd /opt/idea-IC-*/bin
./idea.sh

IntelliJ IDEA will launch and prompt you through the initial setup on first run.

Step 6: Create a Desktop Entry (Manual Install Only)

To add IntelliJ IDEA to your application menu when using the tar archive method, create a .desktop launcher file:

sudo nano /usr/share/applications/intellij-idea.desktop

Paste the following, adjusting the folder name to match your extracted version:

[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Name=IntelliJ IDEA Community
Exec=/opt/idea-IC-2024.1/bin/idea.sh
Icon=/opt/idea-IC-2024.1/bin/idea.png
Terminal=false
Categories=Development;IDE;

Save with Ctrl + O and exit with Ctrl + X. IntelliJ IDEA will now appear in your application launcher.

IntelliJ IDEA is now installed on your Debian VPS and ready to use. The Snap method is the fastest route for most users, while the tar archive gives you full control over the installation path and version without any additional dependencies.