Install Android toolchain

 

ChatGPT installed a command-line Android toolchain, without Android Studio:

  • Java: Used your existing OpenJDK 17. The default Java 21 installation lacked the compiler needed by Gradle.

  • Gradle 8.11.1: Downloaded and extracted into the project’s .tooling/gradle-8.11.1.

  • Android SDK command-line tools: Downloaded Google’s Linux ZIP and used its sdkmanager to install:

    • SDK Platform 35

    • Build-Tools 35.0.0

    • Platform-Tools, including ADB

  • SDK location: Initially used /tmp/sshcopy-android-sdk. After that directory disappeared, I reinstalled the SDK permanently inside the project at .tooling/android-sdk.

  • Project configuration: Updated [local.properties](/home/roland/Dokumente/ChatGPT/Android akp/local.properties) to point to the permanent SDK.

  • Build script: Created [build-apk.sh](/home/roland/Dokumente/ChatGPT/Android akp/build-apk.sh) to configure Java, SDK and cache paths, build the debug APK, run lint, and copy the result to SSHCopy.apk.

  • Dependencies: Gradle downloaded Android Gradle Plugin 8.9.1, JSch for SSH/SFTP, and Bouncy Castle for cryptography.

  • Verification: Built the APK, ran lint and file-selection tests, and verified the APK signature.

 

Build-apk.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash

set -euo pipefail

cd "$(dirname "$0")"

export JAVA_HOME="${JAVA_HOME:-/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk-amd64}"

export ANDROID_HOME="$PWD/.tooling/android-sdk"

if [[ ! -f "$ANDROID_HOME/platforms/android-35/android.jar" ]]; then

    echo "Android SDK platform 35 is missing from $ANDROID_HOME" >&2

    exit 1

fi

export GRADLE_USER_HOME="$PWD/.tooling/gradle-home"

export ANDROID_USER_HOME="$PWD/.tooling/android-user"

.tooling/gradle-8.11.1/bin/gradle --no-daemon :app:assembleDebug :app:lintDebug

cp app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk SSHCopy.apk

 

 

how to install the android dev toolchain on ubuntu 24.04 without android studio

You can install just Java and the Android SDK command-line tools. These steps assume Ubuntu 24.04 on an Intel/AMD PC.

1. Install Java and utilities

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openjdk-21-jdk unzip

2. Download the command-line tools

On the Android downloads page, find Command line tools only and download the Linux ZIP.

For a fresh installation, run these commands, replacing YOUR_VERSION with the downloaded filename’s version:

mkdir -p "$HOME/Android/Sdk/cmdline-tools"
unzip "$HOME/Downloads/commandlinetools-linux-YOUR_VERSION_latest.zip" \
 -d "$HOME/Android/Sdk/cmdline-tools"

mv "$HOME/Android/Sdk/cmdline-tools/cmdline-tools" \
  "$HOME/Android/Sdk/cmdline-tools/latest"

The resulting executable must be at:

~/Android/Sdk/cmdline-tools/latest/bin/sdkmanager

Google currently marks sdkmanager deprecated in favor of the newer Android CLI, but still documents this standalone SDK installation method. Official instructions

3. Configure your shell

Add these lines to ~/.bashrc. Remove the Snap-based JAVA_HOME from my previous answer if you added it.

export JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-openjdk-amd64"
export ANDROID_HOME="$HOME/Android/Sdk"
export PATH="$JAVA_HOME/bin:$ANDROID_HOME/platform-tools:$ANDROID_HOME/cmdline-tools/latest/bin:$ANDROID_HOME/emulator:$PATH"

Then reload:

source ~/.bashrc
java -version
sdkmanager --version

4. Install SDK packages and accept licenses

This example installs API 36. Change the platform and build-tools versions to match your project:

sdkmanager --licenses
sdkmanager "platform-tools" "platforms;android-36" "build-tools;36.0.0"

Review and accept the license prompts. To see other available versions:

sdkmanager --list

5. Enable USB debugging for a phone

sudo apt install android-sdk-platform-tools-common
sudo usermod -aG plugdev "$USER"

Log out and back in. Enable USB debugging in the phone’s Developer options, connect it, and accept the authorization prompt.

adb devices

It should show your phone with status device. USB setup documentation

6. Build an existing project

From the project directory:

./gradlew assembleDebug
./gradlew installDebug

Use the project’s Gradle wrapper. Its Gradle/Android plugin versions determine the required Java version; older projects may need JDK 17 instead of 21. Java requirements

You now have the SDK, compiler/build tools, and ADB without Android Studio.

how to create a debug version of an apk

I’ll check the command-line build instructions for a debug APK.

Searched the web for https://developer.android.com/build/building-cmdline

If you have the Android project’s source code, run this from its root directory—the folder containing gradlew:

./gradlew assembleDebug

If you get “Permission denied”:

chmod +x gradlew
./gradlew assembleDebug

For a standard project with an app module, the APK appears at:

app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

It’s automatically signed with a debug key and supports debugging. No manual signing is needed. Official build instructions

To install it on a connected phone with USB debugging enabled:

adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Or build and install in one step:

./gradlew installDebug

If you mean you only have an existing APK, without the source project, that requires a different process; these commands rebuild from source.

 

kner 14.09.26 20:27:18 - Seite neu 14.09.2026