How to Execute a JAR File from the Terminal on Ubuntu?

Learn how to run JAR files directly from the terminal on ubuntu. Includes syntax examples, troubleshooting tips, and Java runtime requirements.

To execute .jar file, java command should be used as below:

java -jar {path_of_the_file}/{file_name}.jar

And to execute above command, Java package must be installed on Ubuntu PC. To check if java package is already installed, execute below command in a terminal:

java -version 

It should display current version of Java package installed.

If it displays “The program java can be found in the following packages”, It means Java hasn’t been installed yet. Execute below command in a terminal to install java package,

sudo apt-get install default-jre

This will install the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) only not Java Development Kit (JDK). If Java Development Kit (JDK) is needed, which is usually needed to compile Java applications, execute the following command in terminal:

sudo apt-get install default-jdk

That is everything to install Java. Now run first command to execute .jar file.