Atom is an open-source, cross-platform code editor developed by GitHub. It has a built-in package manager, embedded Git control, smart autocompletion, syntax highlighting, and multiple panes.

Under the hood Atom is a desktop application built on Electron using HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and Node.js .

This guide shows two ways of installing Atom on Ubuntu 20.04. Atom can be installed as a snap package via the Snapcraft store or as a deb package from the Atom repositories.

Choose the installation method that is most appropriate for your environment. The same instructions apply for any Ubuntu-based distribution, including Kubuntu, Linux Mint, and Elementary OS.

Installing Atom as a Snap Package #

Atom snap package is distributed and maintained by Github.

Snaps are self-contained software packages that include the binary all dependencies needed to run the application. Snap packages are easy to upgrade and secure. Unlike the standard deb packages, snaps have a larger disk footprint and longer application startup time.

Snap packages can be installed from either the command-line or via the Ubuntu Software application.

To install the Atom snap, open your terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and run the following command:

sudo snap install atom --classic

That’s it. Atom has been installed on your Ubuntu desktop, and you can start using it.

Whenever a new version is released, the Atom snap package will be automatically updated in the background.

If you are not comfortable with the command line, open Ubuntu Software, search for “Atom” and install the application.

Installing Atom with apt #

Atom is available from the Packagecloud Apt repositories. To install it, follow the steps below:

1. Update the packages list and install the dependencies:

   sudo apt updatesudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget

2. Import the repository GPG key and enable the Apt repository :

   wget -q https://packagecloud.io/AtomEditor/atom/gpgkey -O- | sudo apt-key add -sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://packagecloud.io/AtomEditor/atom/any/ any main"

3. Once the repository is enabled, install the latest version of Atom:

   sudo apt install atom

When a new version is released, you can update Atom through the command-line or your desktop Software Update tool.

Starting Atom #

In the Activities search bar type “Atom” and click on the icon to launch the application.

When you start the Atom editor for the first time, a window like the following should appear:

From here, you start installing themes and extensions and configuring the editor according to your preferences.

Conclusion #

We’ve shown you how to install Atom on Ubuntu 20.04. To learn more about how to use Atom, from beginner basics to advanced techniques, visit their official documentation page.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below.