Android Environment Setup

If you want to build an application for android, you should have Java Development Kit(JDK), Android SDK and development environment. The Android SDK is compatible with Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems to build applications based on our requirements.

In the beginning, Manual Eclipse IDE Setup is supported by Google for Android development environment by downloading required components like Eclipse IDE, Android SDK, Java Development Kit (JDK), etc from the official site. Afterward, Google introduced a component called Android Studio to make the environment setup process simple.

We can easily set up an android development environment by using Android Studio in any operating system to implement android applications.

Why do we need JDK for making android apps?

All android apps are made using Java and Java is the main language used to make android apps. Java JDK is the basic foundation that you need before when you think about the development of the android application.

Set-up Java Development Kit (JDK):

You can download the latest version of Java JDK from Oracle’s Java site and you will find instructions about installing JDK in downloaded files, follow the given instructions to install and configure the setup. And then set PATH and JAVA_HOME environment variables to refer to the directory that contains java and javac, typically java_install_dir/bin and java_install_dir respectively.

Download the Android SDK:

Android SDK can be installed using command-line tools or through Android Studio. Android studio gives an easy way to GUI based tool but installs additional software on your computer and the command line does not install any additional software but it can be more challenging to use.

The two software’s that are mainly used to develop Android applications:

Installing Android Studio:

Android Studio is the official IDE for the development of android applications. It works based on IntelliJ IDEA, You can download the latest version of the android studio from Android Studio Download. If you don’t know how to install Android Studio on windows then follow the steps given below.

After installation, launch Android Studio.exe file.

Now click on the Next button, if you did not set the JDK path in environment variable then no need to worry android studio will give you an option to set your JDK path like the below-given image.

Now select the path of JDK and then click on Next. Android Studio will provide you some options that are used for app development. The below image has checked Android SDK, Android Virtual Device and Performance these options are required to develop an app.

And now specify the path for Android Studio and Android SDK Wherever you want to keep this setup.

At the last, it would extract the Android SDK Package in your system, it will take some time to finish. After extraction click on the Next and then Finish setup and now you are done with the installation.

If you are using Mac or Linux, you can download the latest version from Android Studio Mac Download or Android Studio Linux Download. And also check the instructions given along with the downloaded file for Mac OS and Linux.

While installing the Android platform SDK and other tools, install the latest available version. There might be cases in which Google has released a new version of the SDK that causes errors when you build your project. In that case, uninstall the older SDK and install an earlier version.

Now you have configured everything, and your computer is now compatible to find Java and work with JDK.