Android SDK (Ubuntu 24.04)

Complete guide for setting up the Android SDK and Java environment required to run the Appy Builder on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Prerequisites

Before installing the Android SDK, ensure your server meets the following requirements:

Start by updating your system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install required utilities:

sudo apt install wget unzip -y

Installing Java 17

The Android build tools require Java 17 (OpenJDK). Install it using the following command:

sudo apt install openjdk-17-jdk -y

java -version

openjdk version "17.0.17" 2025-10-21
OpenJDK Runtime Environment (build 17.0.17+10-Ubuntu-124.04)
OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM (build 17.0.17+10-Ubuntu-124.04, mixed mode, sharing)

javac -version

Installing Android SDK

The Android SDK provides the tools needed to compile Android apps. We'll install the command-line tools and required SDK components.

mkdir -p ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools

cd ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools

wget https://dl.google.com/android/repository/commandlinetools-linux-11076708_latest.zip -O cmdline-tools.zip

unzip cmdline-tools.zip

mv cmdline-tools latest

rm cmdline-tools.zip

yes | ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/sdkmanager --licenses

~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-35" "build-tools;35.0.0"

Environment Variables

Set up the environment variables so the builder can locate Java and the Android SDK.

# Android SDK
export ANDROID_HOME=$HOME/android-sdk
export PATH=$PATH:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools

# Java
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64
export PATH=$PATH:$JAVA_HOME/bin

nano ~/.profile

source ~/.bashrc

Verification

Verify that everything is installed correctly:

Check Java

java -version

echo $JAVA_HOME

Check Android SDK

echo $ANDROID_HOME

adb --version

sdkmanager --version

List Installed SDK Packages

sdkmanager --list_installed

Expected output:

Installed packages:
  Path                 | Version | Description                | Location
  -------              | ------- | -------                    | -------
  build-tools;35.0.0   | 35.0.0  | Android SDK Build-Tools 35 | build-tools/35.0.0
  platform-tools       | 36.0.2  | Android SDK Platform-Tools | platform-tools
  platforms;android-35 | 2       | Android SDK Platform 35    | platforms/android-35

Troubleshooting

Error: "sdkmanager: command not found"

Cause: Environment variables not loaded or path incorrect.

Solution:

1. Verify ANDROID_HOME is set: echo $ANDROID_HOME
2. Check the SDK structure: ls -la ~/android-sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/
3. Re-source your profile: source ~/.bashrc

Error: "JAVA_HOME is not set"

Cause: Java environment variable not configured.

Solution: Set the JAVA_HOME variable:

export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64

Verify it's set:

echo $JAVA_HOME

Error: "Could not determine SDK root"

Cause: The command-line tools are not in the correct directory structure.

Solution: Ensure your SDK is structured as:

~/android-sdk/
    cmdline-tools/
        latest/
            bin/
                sdkmanager
                avdmanager
            lib/
    platform-tools/
    platforms/
    build-tools/

Error: "Failed to accept SDK licenses"

Cause: Interactive prompts require user input.

Solution: Use the yes command to auto-accept:

yes | sdkmanager --licenses

Docker: "permission denied" errors

Cause: User not in docker group.

Solution: Add your user to the docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Then log out and back in, or run:

newgrp docker