How to Install Deno on Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04

• Use Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04 Desktop or Server, internet access and a Bash terminal. Open Terminal with Ctrl+Alt+T on Ubuntu Desktop.
• You need sudo for Ubuntu packages only. Run the Deno installer and your programs without sudo.
• The official Linux downloads support 64-bit Intel/AMD and ARM64. Check uname -m: expect x86_64 or aarch64.
• Install the prerequisites below. The installer downloads a .zip archive and fails on minimal Ubuntu servers without unzip unless 7z is already available.

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y curl unzip

The && runs installation only if the package-list update succeeds. The -y accepts APT’s confirmation. These instructions use the default ~/.deno location and Bash; a custom shell or DENO_INSTALL setting needs its matching configuration.

Check the release, architecture and command locations:

cat /etc/os-release
uname -m
type -a deno dx

Missing commands are normal on a new installation. If deno already exists, check deno --version and identify how it was installed before adding another copy. The first PATH match is the one your shell runs.

The following command downloads and immediately executes Deno’s installation script. Continue only if you trust this official source:

curl -fsSL https://deno.land/install.sh | sh

Run it without sudo. The script downloads the binary for your architecture into ~/.deno/bin. In an interactive terminal it prompts to configure your shell PATH automatically; accept that setup if you want deno available by name in new terminals. Use the current https://deno.land/install.sh address.

The installer’s PATH changes normally apply to a new terminal. To use the default installation immediately, run:

export DENO_INSTALL="$HOME/.deno"
export PATH="$DENO_INSTALL/bin:$PATH"
deno --version
command -v deno

Expect a Deno 2.x version plus V8 and TypeScript version lines. The command path should be under your home directory at .deno/bin/deno. The installer selects the current stable release, so the exact patch version changes over time.

First inspect the file so you do not add duplicate entries:

grep -nE "DENO_INSTALL|\.deno|deno/env" ~/.bashrc

If the installer already configured Deno, keep its working setup. Otherwise, open ~/.bashrc in your preferred text editor and add these two lines at the end. They are shell configuration, not a TypeScript file:

This creates a unique folder under your home directory so the exercise does not overwrite an existing project:

deno_demo_dir=$(mktemp -d "$HOME/deno-demo.XXXXXX") &&
cd "$deno_demo_dir" &&
cat > hello.ts <<'TS'
const name: string = "Ubuntu";
console.log(`Hello from Deno on ${name}!`);
TS

Keep this terminal open for the next exercises. Run pwd to see the practice directory’s actual path.

From the directory containing hello.ts:

deno run hello.ts
deno check hello.ts

The run command executes the TypeScript file directly. The check command separately checks its types; ordinary deno run does not perform a full type check. The greeting should be:

Deno includes these tools, so this example needs no extra packages:

deno fmt hello.ts
deno lint hello.ts

Formatting may rewrite hello.ts to the standard layout. Lint checks for common code problems. All these commands run as your normal user.

In the same practice directory, create a harmless text file and a program that reads it:

printf 'Deno can read this note.\n' > note.txt
cat > read-note.ts <<'TS'
const note = await Deno.readTextFile("./note.txt");
console.log(note.trim());
TS

These filenames are new within the practice directory. Repeating this block replaces those exercise files.

Disable interactive permission prompts so the denial is visible and repeatable:

deno run --no-prompt read-note.ts

Expect an error saying the program requires read access to ./note.txt. That is the intended result. Without –no-prompt, an interactive terminal can ask you whether to grant permission instead.

Place permission flags before the script filename:

deno run --allow-read=./note.txt read-note.ts

Expect Deno can read this note.. The shorthand is deno run -R=./note.txt read-note.ts. A bare –allow-read or -R grants broader read access; limiting the path is preferable when one file is enough.

Create this optional example in the practice directory:

cat > fetch-example.ts <<'TS'
const response = await fetch("https://example.com");
await response.body?.cancel();
console.log(`HTTP status: ${response.status}`);
TS

The program contacts example.com and prints its HTTP status. It needs internet access but no API key.

For the default installation, check:

command -v deno
command -v dx

Both should resolve inside ~/.deno/bin. If shell setup was skipped or dx is missing, use your installed Deno to create its alias:

For example, display the help for a pinned version of the standard-library HTTP file-server tool:

dx jsr:@std/[email protected]/file-server --help

This downloads the JSR package on first use and displays its help. The –help option exits without starting a server or sharing files. Version 1.1.4 is pinned for this exercise; omit the version only when you deliberately want the current release.

dx runs with all permissions by default. Run only packages you trust. Do not assume the restricted behavior of deno run applies to dx, and do not run dx with sudo. The deno x documentation explains package binaries, JSR exports and the dx alias.

For the user-owned installation from this guide, run without sudo:

deno upgrade
deno --version

This updates Deno itself. It does not upgrade every npm or JSR dependency in your projects. Run your project checks after changing runtime versions.

Use this when you deliberately want Deno’s LTS channel:

deno upgrade lts
deno --version

LTS means Long-Term Support. Repeat deno upgrade lts for later LTS updates: a plain deno upgrade selects the latest stable channel instead. Ubuntu LTS and Deno LTS are independent release policies.

If the installer says either unzip or 7z is required, install the prerequisites, then rerun your chosen official installer command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y curl unzip

Minimal Ubuntu Server images may omit archive tools even when curl is already installed.

Check whether the default binary exists and can run by its full path:

ls -l "$HOME/.deno/bin/deno"
"$HOME/.deno/bin/deno" --version

If it works, fix PATH using the Bash steps above or reopen the terminal. If the file is absent, read the installer error or check your custom DENO_INSTALL location.

First make sure deno works. Then create the alias with deno x --install-alias, run hash -r and check command -v dx. On an older Deno version that lacks deno x, update Deno first.

Read which operation was denied. Grant the specific file or host the program needs, as in the permission exercises. Put flags before the filename; flags after it become script arguments. Do not replace a narrow permission with –allow-all just to hide the error.

Check your internet connection and system clock, then test the installer endpoint:

date -Is
curl -fsSI https://deno.land/install.sh

On minimal systems, installing ca-certificates may be needed. On managed networks, follow your organization’s proxy and trusted-certificate settings. Do not disable TLS verification. Binary downloads and shell setup also contact Deno’s download service and JSR.

Inspect every command match:

type -a deno dx
command -v deno
ls -ld "$HOME/.deno" "$HOME/.deno/bin"

A different PATH entry may select an older installation. A default install made with sudo may have files owned by root. Identify that installation before repairing ownership or removing it; do not use sudo deno upgrade as the default workaround.

After repairing the dependency, connection or PATH issue, retry the same official installer route without sudo. Verify deno --version before returning to the examples. If Deno already works, a failed script does not require reinstalling the runtime: return to the practice directory and rerun it with the needed permission. Keep your project source files.

These instructions remove the default ~/.deno installation only:

type -a deno dx
ls -la "$HOME/.deno"
grep -nE "DENO_INSTALL|\.deno|deno/env" ~/.bashrc ~/.profile

Check that the selected installation really uses ~/.deno. This directory can also contain globally installed Deno tools. Back up anything you need before deleting it. Use the relevant package manager for an installation it manages.

The following command permanently deletes ~/.deno, including deno, dx and any other tools stored there. Use it only after the inspection above:

rm -rf -- "$HOME/.deno"

It does not delete the practice project under your home directory. If DENO_INSTALL points somewhere else, inspect that location separately instead of substituting an unverified path into a recursive delete.

Open ~/.bashrc in a text editor and remove the two Deno-only lines you added earlier:

export DENO_INSTALL="$HOME/.deno"
export PATH="$DENO_INSTALL/bin:$PATH"

This block identifies the lines to remove; do not execute or add them again. If the installer created a Deno-only source line, such as a line loading ~/.deno/env, remove that too. Inspect ~/.profile for installer-added Deno setup. Preserve unrelated PATH entries and shell settings.

Close the current terminal and open a new one so it does not retain the old environment:

type -a deno dx

Command-not-found messages are expected when no installation remains. If another copy appears, identify its installation method. The package cache is separate from ~/.deno; removing the runtime does not necessarily remove cached downloads. Keep projects unless you deliberately choose to delete them.

• Deno runtime documentation covers projects, modules and built-in tooling.
• TypeScript in Deno explains execution and type checking.
• Set up your environment covers editor integration.