path: root/docs/html/sdk/installing.jd

page.title=Installing the Android SDK
sdk.preview=0

@jd:body

<div id="qv-wrapper">
<div id="qv">

  <h2>In this document</h2>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="#Preparing">Prepare for Installation</a></li>
    <li><a href="#Installing">Install the SDK</a></li>
    <li><a href="#InstallingADT">Install the ADT Plugin for Eclipse</a></li>
    <li><a href="#components">Add Platforms and Other SDK Components</a></li>
    <li><a href="#sdkContents">Explore the SDK</a></li>
    <li><a href="#NextSteps">Next Steps</a></li>
    <li><a href="#troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a></li>
  </ol>

<h2>See also</h2>
  <ol>
    <li><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/eclipse-adt.html">Installing ADT</a></li>
    <li><a href="{@docRoot}sdk/adding-components.html">Adding SDK Components</a></li>
  </ol>

</div>
</div>

<p>This page describes how to install the latest version of the Android SDK 
and set up your development environment for the first time.</p>

<p>If you encounter any problems during installation, see the 
<a href="#troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</a> section at the bottom of
this page.</p>

<h4>Updating?</h4>

<p>If you are currently using the Android 1.6 SDK, you do not necessarily need
to install a newer SDK, since you can already update the platforms, tools, and
other components using the Android SDK and AVD Manager tool. To develop against
the latest Android platform, for example, you could just download the latest SDK
Tools and then add the new Android platform into your existing SDK.</p>

<p>If you are using Android 1.5 SDK or older, you should install the new SDK as
described in this document and move your application projects to the new
SDK environment. </p>

<h2 id="Preparing">Prepare for Installation</h2>

<p>Before you begin, take a moment to confirm that your development machine
meets the <a href="requirements.html">System Requirements</a>.</p>

<p>If you will be developing in Eclipse with the Android Development
Tools (ADT) Plugin &mdash; the recommended path if you are new to
Android &mdash; make sure that you have a suitable version of Eclipse
installed on your computer (3.4 or newer is recommended). If you need 
to install Eclipse, you can download it from this location: </p>

<p style="margin-left:2em;"><a href=
"http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/">http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/</a></p>

<p>A Java or RCP version of Eclipse is recommended. For Eclipse 3.5, the 
"Eclipse Classic" version is recommended.</p>

<h2 id="Installing">Download and Install the SDK</h2>

<p>Download the SDK package that is appropriate for your development computer.
You can get the latest version from the <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/index.html">SDK
download page</a>.</p>

<p>After downloading, unpack the Android SDK archive to a suitable location on your
machine. By default, the SDK files are unpacked into a directory named
<code>android-sdk-&lt;machine-platform&gt;</code>. Make a note of the name and
location of the unpacked SDK directory on your system &mdash; you will need to
refer to the SDK directory later, when setting up the ADT plugin or when using
the SDK tools.</p>

<p>Optionally, you may want to add the location of the SDK's primary
<code>tools</code> directory to your system <code>PATH</code>. The primary
<code>tools/</code> directory is located at the root of the SDK folder. Adding
<code>tools</code> to your path lets you run Android Debug Bridge (adb) and the
other command line <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/index.html">tools</a> without needing to
supply the full path to the tools directory. </p> 

<ul>
    <li>On Linux, edit your <code>~/.bash_profile</code> or <code>~/.bashrc</code> file. Look
    for a line that sets the PATH environment variable and add the
    full path to the <code>tools/</code> directory to it. If you don't 
    see a line setting the path, you can add one:</li>

    <ul><code>export PATH=${PATH}:<em>&lt;your_sdk_dir&gt;</em>/tools</code></ul>

    <li>On a Mac OS X, look in your home directory for <code>.bash_profile</code> and
    proceed as for Linux. You can create the <code>.bash_profile</code> if 
    you haven't already set one up on your machine. </li>

    <li>On Windows, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.  
  Under the Advanced tab, hit the Environment Variables button, and in the
  dialog that comes up, double-click on Path (under System Variables). Add the full path to the 
  <code>tools/</code> directory to the path. </li>
  </ul>

<p>If you will be using the Eclipse IDE as your development environment,
the next section describes how to install the Android Development Tools (ADT) plugin and set up Eclipse. 
If you choose not to use Eclipse, you can 
develop Android applications in an IDE of your choice and then compile, debug and deploy using
the tools included in the SDK (skip to <a href="#NextSteps">Next Steps</a>).</p>


<h2 id="InstallingADT">Install the ADT Plugin for Eclipse</h2>

<p>Android offers a custom plugin for the Eclipse IDE, called Android
Development Tools (ADT), that is designed to give you a powerful,
integrated environment in which to build Android applications. It
extends the capabilites of Eclipse to let you quickly set up new Android
projects, create an application UI, add components based on the Android
Framework API, debug your applications using the Android SDK tools, and even export
signed (or unsigned) APKs in order to distribute your application.</p>

<p>In general, using Eclipse with ADT is a highly recommended approach to
Android development and is the fastest way to get started. For complete 
information about how to install ADT, see 
<a href="{@docRoot}sdk/eclipse-adt.html">Installing and Updating ADT</a>.</p>

<p>If you prefer to work in an IDE other than Eclipse, you do not need to
install Eclipse or ADT, instead, you can directly use the SDK tools to build and
debug your application.</p>


<h2 id="components">Add Android Platforms and Other Components</h2>

<div class="sidebox-wrapper">
<div class="sidebox">
<p>The <strong>Android SDK and AVD Manager</strong> tool is pre-installed in
your SDK. Using the tool is a key part of performing the initial setup of your
SDK, as well as keeping it up-to-date with the latest platforms, tools, and
other components. </p>

<p style="margin-top:.75em;">For full instructions on how to use the tool, see 
<a href="/sdk/adding-components.html#installingComponents">Adding SDK
Components</a>.</p> 
</div>
</div>

<p>The Android SDK uses a modular structure that separates the major parts of
the SDK &mdash; platforms, add-ons, tools, and the API documentation &mdash;
into a set of separately installable components. The SDK components are
available to you for individual download, as needed, from the Android SDK
repository site. </p>

<p>The Android SDK starter package includes only a single component: the latest
version of the SDK Tools. Included in that component is a tool called <em>Android
SDK and AVD Manager</em> that you can use to download other components from the SDK
repository site. The tool provides a graphical UI that lets you browse the
repository, select new or updated components for download, and then install them
in your SDK. </p>

<p>There are several types of SDK components available:</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>SDK Tools</strong> (available pre-installed in the Android SDK
package) &mdash; Contains the full set of SDK tools for developing, debugging,
and testing your application code and UI. You can read about the tools in the <a
href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/index.html">Dev Guide</a> and access them
in the <code>&lt;sdk&gt;/tools/</code> directory. </li>

<li><strong>Android platforms</strong> &mdash; An SDK platform component is
available for every production Android platform deployable to Android-powered
devices. Each platform component includes a fully compliant Android library and
system image, sample code, emulator skins, and any version specific tools. For
detailed information about each platform, see the overview documents available
under the section "Downloadable SDK Components," at left. </li>

<li><strong>SDK Add-Ons</strong> &mdash; SDK add-ons provide a development
environment for specific Android external
library or a customized (but fully compliant) Android system image.  The Android
SDK repository offers the Google APIs Add-On, which gives your application
access to powerful mapping capabilities through the
<code>com.google.android.maps</code> library. You can also add additional
repositories, so that you can download other SDK add-ons, where available. </li>

<li><strong>Documentation</strong> &mdash; Contains a local copy of the latest
multiversion documentation for the Android framework API. 
</li>
</ul>

<p>To develop <em>any</em> Android application, even if you are following the <a
href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/hello-world.html">Hello World</a> tutorial, you
<strong>must download at least one Android platform</strong> into your SDK.
Typically, you will want to download multiple platforms, so that you can build
your application on the lowest version you want to support, but test against
higher versions that you intend the application to run on. You can test your
applications on different platforms by running in an 
Android Virtual Device (AVD) on the Android emulator. </p>

<p>For step-by-step instructions on how to use the Android SDK and AVD Manager
to add components, see the <a href="{@docRoot}sdk/adding-components.html">Adding
SDK Components</a> document. </p>

<p>For release notes and other detailed information about individual SDK 
components, see the documents listed under "Downloadable SDK Components" in 
the navigation at left.</p>


<h2 id="sdkContents">Explore the SDK</h2>

<p>Once you've installed the SDK and downloaded the platforms, documentation,
and add-ons that you need, open the SDK directory and take a look at what's
inside.</p>

<p>The table below describes the full SDK directory contents, with components 
installed. </p>

<table>
<tr>
<th colspan="3">Name</th><th>Description</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>add-ons/</code></td>
<td>Contains add-ons to the Android SDK development
environment, which let you develop against external libraries that are available on some
devices. </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>docs/</code></td>
<td>A full set of documentation in HTML format, including the Developer's Guide,
API Reference, and other information. To read the documentation, load the 
file <code>offline.html</code> in a web browser.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>platforms/</code></td>
<td>Contains a set of Android platform versions that you can develop
applications against, each in a separate directory.  </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td colspan="2"><code>&lt;platform&gt;/</code></td>
<td>Platform version directory, for example "Android 1.6". All platform version 
directories contain a similar set of files and subdirectory structure.</td>
</tr>

<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;">&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td><code>data/</code></td>
<td>Storage area for default fonts and resource definitions.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td><code>images/</code></td>
<td>Storage area for default disk images, including the Android system image, 
the default userdata image, the default ramdisk image, and more. The images 
are used in emulator sessions.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td><code>samples/</code></td>
<td>Contains a wide variety of sample applications that you can load as projects
into your development environment, compile, and run on the emulator.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td><code>skins/</code></td>
<td>A set of emulator skins available for the platform version. Each skin is
designed for a specific screen resolution.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td><code>templates/</code></td>
<td>Storage area for file templates used by the SDK development tools.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td style="width:2em;border-bottom-color:white;"></td>
<td><code>tools/</code></td>
<td>Any development tools that are specific to the platform version.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width:2em;"></td>
<td style="width:2em;"></td>
<td><code>android.jar</code></td>
<td>The Android library used when compiling applications against this platform
version.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>tools/</code></td>
<td>Contains the set of development and profiling tools available to you, such
as the emulator, the <code>android</code> tool, adb, ddms, and more.</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>SDK Readme.txt</code></td>
<td>A file that explains how to perform the initial setup of your SDK, 
including how to launch the Android SDK and AVD Manager tool on all 
platforms</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>SDK Setup.exe</code></td>
<td>For Windows SDK only. A shortcut that launches the Android SDK and AVD 
Manager tool, which you use to add components to your SDK. </td>
</tr>
<!--<tr>
<td colspan="3"><code>documentation.html</code></td>
<td>A file that loads the entry page for the local Android SDK
documentation.</td>
</tr>-->

</table>

<h2 id="NextSteps">Next Steps</h2>
<p>Once you have completed installation, you are ready to
begin developing applications. Here are a few ways you can get started: </p>

<p><strong>Learn about Android</strong></p>
<ul>
  <li>Take a look at the <a href="{@docRoot}guide/index.html">Dev
  Guide</a> and the types of information it provides</li>
  <li>Read an introduction to Android as a platform in <a
  href="{@docRoot}guide/basics/what-is-android.html">What is
  Android?</a></li>
  <li>Learn about the Android framework and how applications run on it in
  <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/fundamentals.html">Application
  Fundamentals</a></li>
  <li>Take a look at the Android framework API specification in the <a
  href="{@docRoot}reference/packages.html">Reference</a> tab</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Explore the SDK</strong></p>
<ul>
  <li>Get an overview of the <a
  href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/tools/index.html">development
  tools</a> that are available to you</li>
  <li>Read how to develop <a
  href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/eclipse-adt.html">in Eclipse/ADT</a> or
  <a href="{@docRoot}guide/developing/other-ide.html">in other IDEs</a>
  </li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Explore some code</strong></p>
<ul>
  <li>Set up a <a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/hello-world.html">Hello
  World application</a> (highly recommended, especially for Eclipse users)</li>
  <li>Follow the <a href="{@docRoot}resources/tutorials/notepad/index.html">
  Notepad Tutorial</a> to build a full Android application </li>
  <li>Create a new project for one of the other sample applications
  included in <code><em>&lt;sdk&gt;</em>/platforms/<em>&lt;platform&gt;</em>/samples</code>, 
  then compile and run it in your development environment</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Visit the Android developer groups</strong></p>
<ul>
  <li>Take a look at the <a
  href="{@docRoot}resources/community-groups.html">Community</a> pages to see a list of
  Android developers groups. In particular, you might want to look at the
  <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers">Android
  Developers</a> group to get a sense for what the Android developer
  community is like.</li>
</ul>


<h2 id="troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</h2>

<h3>Ubuntu Linux Notes</h3>

<ul>
  <li>If you need help installing and configuring Java on your
    development machine, you might find these resources helpful: 
    <ul>
      <li><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Java">https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Java </a></li>
      <li><a href="https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Java">https://help.ubuntu.com/community/JavaInstallation</a></li>
    </ul>
  </li>
  <li>Here are the steps to install Java and Eclipse, prior to installing
  the Android SDK and ADT Plugin.
    <ol>
      <li>If you are running a 64-bit distribution on your development
      machine, you need to install the <code>ia32-libs</code> package using
      <code>apt-get:</code>:
      <pre>apt-get install ia32-libs</pre>
      </li>
      <li>Next, install Java: <pre>apt-get install sun-java6-bin</pre></li>
      <li>The Ubuntu package manager does not currently offer an Eclipse 3.3
      version for download, so we recommend that you download Eclipse from
      eclipse.org (<a
      href="http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/">http://www.eclipse.org/
      downloads/</a>). A Java or RCP version of Eclipse is recommended.</li>
      <li>Follow the steps given in previous sections to install the SDK 
      and the ADT plugin. </li>
    </ol>
  </li>
</ul>

<h3>Other Linux Notes</h3>

<ul>
  <li>If JDK is already installed on your development computer, please
  take a moment to make sure that it meets the version requirements listed
  in the <a href="requirements.html">System Requirements</a>.
  In particular, note that some Linux distributions may include JDK 1.4 or Gnu
  Compiler for Java, both of which are not supported for Android development.</li>
</ul>