Install Oracle SQL Developer on Ubuntu/Debian

install-oracle-sql-developer.md

If you don't care about the Welcome Page functionality

1. Install alien, OpenJDK 11, and OpenJFX

    sudo apt install alien openjdk-11-jdk openjfx
   

2. Download SQL Developer >= 19.2
   https://www.oracle.com/tools/downloads/sqldev-downloads.html

   • Download the Linux RPM

3. Install SQL Developer

    sudo alien -i sqldeveloper-*.rpm
   

4. Open SQL developer in the terminal to set the path to the JDK

    $ /usr/local/bin/sqldeveloper 
    Type the full pathname of a JDK installation (or Ctrl-C to quit), the path will be stored in /home/user/.sqldeveloper/19.4.0/product.conf
    /usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/
   

5. (Optional) Create a desktop entry

    echo "[Desktop Entry]
    Type=Application
    Name=Oracle SQL Developer
    Exec=sqldeveloper
    Icon=/opt/sqldeveloper/icon.png
    Terminal=false" >> ~/.local/share/applications/sqldeveloper.desktop
   

6. (Optional) Disable unnecessary features

   1. Tools > Features

   2. Uncheck everything that's not needed

      For example, for minimal non-DBA development tasks, the following features are sufficient and everything else (including Database Migrations and Version Control) can be unchecked:

       - Oracle SQL Developer - Schema Browser
       - Oracle SQL Developer - Snippet
       - Oracle SQL Developer - SSH Support
       - Oracle SQL Developer - XML Schema
      

   3. Apply Changes

If you want the Welcome Page to work

1. Install Java

   1. Download the latest .deb for Coretto Java 8 here: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/corretto/latest/corretto-8-ug/downloads-list.html

      (This is needed because SQL Developer only supports Java 8 with JavaFX, and Amazon Coretto is the only free version of Java 8 that includes JavaFX)

   2. Install the package

      sudo dpkg -i java-1.8.0-amazon-corretto-jdk*.deb
      

2. Install alien

   sudo apt install alien
   

3. Download SQL Developer https://www.oracle.com/tools/downloads/sqldev-downloads.html

   • Download the Linux RPM

4. Install SQL Developer

    sudo alien -i sqldeveloper-*.rpm
   

5. Open SQL developer in the terminal to set the path to the JDK

   $ /usr/local/bin/sqldeveloper 
   Type the full pathname of a JDK installation (or Ctrl-C to quit), the path will be stored in /home/user/.sqldeveloper/19.1.0/product.conf
   /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.8.0-amazon-corretto
   

6. (Optional) Create a desktop entry

   (See above)

7. (Optional) Disable unnecessary features

   (See above)