ROS Installation

In this segment, we will first understand the different versions of ROS and also what are ROS distributions.

Prerequisite: Get Ubuntu

ROS is best used with an Ubuntu environment. For my guides, I am using Ubuntu 22.04 (Dual Booted on Windows). For information on how to do that, refer to the below guide.

💻Ubuntu Setup - Dual Booting (For Windows)

Another good alternative (and easier to setup) is to use Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) and specifically WSL version 2 (WSL2).

💻Ubuntu Setup - Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

What version of ROS should I use?

There are two top-level versions of ROS.

1. ROS1

2. ROS2

Both works to create and program robots. I'd recommend you to learn both ROS1 and ROS2 to be familiar with the differences.

Sometimes we just refer our default ROS version as "ROS" so just take note that when I mention "ROS" in subsequent pages, I am referring to ROS2.

What is the main difference? Here is a link to describe the differences between the two.

ROS 1 vs ROS 2 What are the Biggest Differences?

But the confusion doesn't just end here, there are different versions for ROS1 and ROS2 respectively too. They are called distributions/distros and new ones come out every 2-4 years.

ROS1 Distributions

Distributions - ROS Wiki

ROS2 Distributions

Distributions — ROS 2 Documentation: Jazzy documentation

For my guides, I will be using ROS2, specifically the Humble Distribution.

Note that distributions require specific Ubuntu Distros! For example, ROS2 Humble works on Ubuntu 22.04.

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So now that you have a brief understanding of ROS, let us take a look at how we can set up ROS.

Installation Guide [ROS2 Humble]