Standard Setup of Toolchain for Linux
Install Prerequisites
To compile with ESP-IDF you need to get the following packages. The command to run depends on which distribution of Linux you are using:
Ubuntu and Debian:
sudo apt-get install git wget flex bison gperf python3 python3-pip python3-setuptools cmake ninja-build ccache libffi-dev libssl-dev dfu-util libusb-1.0-0
CentOS 7 & 8:
sudo yum -y update && sudo yum install git wget flex bison gperf python3 python3-pip python3-setuptools cmake ninja-build ccache dfu-util libusbx
CentOS 7 is still supported but CentOS version 8 is recommended for a better user experience.
Arch:
sudo pacman -S --needed gcc git make flex bison gperf python-pip cmake ninja ccache dfu-util libusb
Note
CMake version 3.5 or newer is required for use with ESP-IDF. Older Linux distributions may require updating, enabling of a “backports” repository, or installing of a “cmake3” package rather than “cmake”.
If you do not see your Linux distribution in the above list then please check its documentation to find out which command to use for package installation.
Additional Tips
Permission issues /dev/ttyUSB0
With some Linux distributions you may get the Failed to open port /dev/ttyUSB0 error message when flashing the ESP32. This can be solved by adding the current user to the dialout group.
Python compatibility
ESP-IDF supports Python 3.6 or newer. It is recommended to upgrade your operating system to a recent version satisfying this requirement. Other options include the installation of Python from sources or the use of a Python version management system such as pyenv.
Next Steps
To carry on with development environment setup, proceed to Step 2. Get ESP-IDF.