How to Compile a C/C++ Program in Ubuntu

This article will show you how to compile a C/C++ program in Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu using the gcc/g++ compiler. Except from step one which is specific for Debian based distribution, the steps should apply to any Linux distro. In this article we will assume that you have the file containing the code on the Desktop and that it's named hello.c or hello.cpp

Steps

1. Install the build-essential package by typing the following command in the terminal: sudo apt-get install build-essential.
   
2. Now create a file that has the extension .c (if you plan to write a C program) or .cpp (for a C++ program).
   
3. Write the code in that file.
   
4. Now open a terminal and go to the place where you saved that file using the cd command (e.g. cd Desktop).
   
5. If you have a C program type in the terminal
   
   • gcc -Wall -W -Werror hello.c -o hello.
     
     • The first line will invoke the GNU C compiler to compile the file hello.c and output (-o) it to an executable called hello.
       
     • The options -Wall -W and -Werror instruct the compiler to check for warnings.
       
     
     
   
   
6. If you have a C++ program simply replace gcc with g++ and hello.c with hello.cpp. The options do the same things.
   
7. If you get a permissions error, you need to make the file executable. You can do this with chmod +x hello.cpp
   
8. Now type in the terminal ./hello and the program will run.
   

Tips

• Obviously, you can name the files however you want.
  
• A great article about Programming in C in Ubuntu is in the Issue #17 - September 2008 of the Full Circle Magazine (http://fullcirclemagazine.org/).
  

Warnings

• If you don't use the -o option the name of the executable will be a.out (by default).
  

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