Claude Code on Linux: Ubuntu, Debian & Alpine Installation Guide

Linux Requirements

Claude Code supports the following Linux distributions:

Ubuntu 20.04+ (LTS recommended)
Debian 10+
Alpine Linux 3.19+ (additional dependencies required)
Most other modern Linux distributions with glibc

Hardware:

4 GB+ RAM (8 GB+ recommended for large codebases)
Active internet connection
Bash or Zsh shell

Installation: Native Installer (Recommended)

The universal method that works on all supported distributions:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

This installs the Claude Code binary to ~/.local/bin/claude with automatic background updates.

Verify Installation

claude --version
claude doctor

Ubuntu / Debian Specific

Ubuntu and Debian work out of the box with the native installer. No additional packages needed.

PATH Setup

If claude is not found after installation, add to your shell profile:

# For Bash
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

# For Zsh
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Alpine Linux (musl-based)

Alpine and other musl/uClibc-based distributions require additional packages:

apk add libgcc libstdc++ ripgrep

Also set the ripgrep environment variable:

export USE_BUILTIN_RIPGREP=0

Then install Claude Code:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Stable vs Latest Channel

By default, the installer uses the latest channel. For production environments or if you prefer stability:

# Install stable channel
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash -s stable

The stable channel runs versions that are about one week old, skipping any releases with major regressions.

Authentication

Launch Claude Code:

claude

Authenticate using one of:

Claude Pro/Max Plan — Subscribe at claude.ai/pricing
Anthropic Console — Set up billing at console.anthropic.com
Cloud Providers — Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, or Microsoft Foundry

Linux Configuration Tips

Terminal Emulators

Claude Code works well in all major Linux terminal emulators:

GNOME Terminal — Default on Ubuntu
Konsole — Default on KDE
Alacritty — GPU-accelerated, fast
Kitty — Feature-rich with image support
tmux/screen — Multiplexer support works great

Font Recommendation

Install JetBrains Mono for optimal code rendering:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install fonts-jetbrains-mono

# Or download manually from
# https://www.jetbrains.com/mono/

Running in tmux

Claude Code works seamlessly inside tmux sessions:

tmux new -s coding
cd ~/projects/my-app
claude

This lets you detach and reattach to long-running Claude Code sessions.

Server / Headless Setup

Claude Code works on headless servers too. SSH into your server and run:

ssh myserver
cd /var/www/my-app
claude

Authentication will provide a URL to open in your local browser.

Docker Usage

You can run Claude Code inside Docker for isolated environments:

FROM ubuntu:24.04
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl
RUN curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
ENV PATH="/root/.local/bin:$PATH"

Troubleshooting

libstdc++ errors

On minimal distributions:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install libstdc++6

# Alpine
apk add libstdc++

Search not working

Install ripgrep if search features fail:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ripgrep

# Alpine
apk add ripgrep

Permissions

Never use sudo to install Claude Code. The native installer installs to user space (~/.local/bin/).

Updating & Uninstalling

Update

claude update

Uninstall

rm -f ~/.local/bin/claude
rm -rf ~/.local/share/claude

Remove settings (optional)

rm -rf ~/.claude ~/.claude.json

Next Steps

Complete Installation Guide — All methods and platforms
What is Claude Code? — Full feature overview
Terminal Commands Cheat Sheet — Quick reference
Visit Claude.ai to get started