Complete Guide to ROS Installation and Setup
Introduction
Robot Operating System (ROS) is a flexible framework for writing robot software. It is a collection of tools, libraries, and conventions that aim to simplify the task of creating complex and robust robot behavior across a wide variety of robotic platforms. In this guide, we’ll walk through the installation process for both ROS 1 and ROS 2, the two major versions currently in use.
ROS 1 Installation (Noetic - for Ubuntu 20.04)
Setting Up the Repository
To begin with, you need to configure your system to accept software from the ROS repositories:
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.ros.org/ros/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros-latest.list'
Setting Up Keys
Next, you need to set up the necessary keys:
sudo apt install curl -y
curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.asc | sudo apt-key add -
Updating and Installing ROS
Now, update your package lists and install ROS:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ros-noetic-desktop-full -y
If you prefer a smaller installation, you can choose from these options:
-
ros-noetic-desktop: GUI tools without simulation -
ros-noetic-ros-base: Base packages only, no GUI tools
Environment Setup
For the changes to take effect in your current terminal and all future terminal sessions, add the following to your shell configuration:
For Bash users:
echo "source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
For Zsh users:
echo "source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.zsh" >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
Installing Dependencies for Building Packages
Install the necessary build tools and dependencies:
sudo apt install python3-rosdep python3-rosinstall python3-rosinstall-generator python3-wstool build-essential -y
Initializing rosdep
Initialize rosdep, which is used for installing system dependencies:
sudo rosdep init
rosdep update
ROS 2 Installation (Humble - for Ubuntu 22.04)
Locale Configuration
ROS 2 requires a UTF-8 locale. Set this up with:
locale # Check current settings
sudo apt update && sudo apt install locales -y
sudo locale-gen en_US en_US.UTF-8
sudo update-locale LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
Setting Up Sources
Add the Universe repository:
sudo apt install software-properties-common -y
sudo add-apt-repository universe
Adding the ROS 2 GPG Key
sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y
sudo curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.key -o /usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg
Adding the Repository to Your Sources List
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg] http://packages.ros.org/ros2/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo $UBUNTU_CODENAME) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros2.list > /dev/null
Installing ROS 2
Update your package lists and install ROS 2:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install ros-humble-desktop -y
For a minimal installation (CLI tools only):
sudo apt install ros-humble-ros-base -y
Install development tools:
sudo apt install ros-dev-tools -y
Environment Setup
For Bash users:
echo "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
For Zsh users:
echo "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.zsh" >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
Creating a Workspace
ROS 1 Workspace
Create a catkin workspace, which is a directory where you’ll develop and build your ROS packages:
mkdir -p ~/catkin_ws/src
cd ~/catkin_ws
catkin_make
echo "source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
ROS 2 Workspace
Create a workspace using colcon:
mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src
cd ~/ros2_ws
colcon build
echo "source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
Creating Your First Package
ROS 1 Package Creation
cd ~/catkin_ws/src
catkin_create_pkg my_package std_msgs rospy roscpp
cd ~/catkin_ws
catkin_make
ROS 2 Package Creation
For a Python package:
cd ~/ros2_ws/src
ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_python my_package
For a C++ package:
cd ~/ros2_ws/src
ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_cmake my_package
Build the package:
cd ~/ros2_ws
colcon build --packages-select my_package
Testing ROS Commands
Basic ROS 1 Commands
Start the ROS master:
roscore
In a new terminal, run a simple publisher node:
rosrun rospy_tutorials talker
In another terminal, run a subscriber node:
rosrun rospy_tutorials listener
Check the list of running nodes:
rosnode list
Check the list of active topics:
rostopic list
Basic ROS 2 Commands
Run a publisher node (no separate master needed):
ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp talker
In a new terminal, run a subscriber node:
ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp listener
List active nodes:
ros2 node list
List active topics:
ros2 topic list
Useful Tools
RViz (Visualization Tool)
ROS 1:
rosrun rviz rviz
ROS 2:
ros2 run rviz2 rviz2
rqt (GUI Tools Collection)
ROS 1:
rqt
ROS 2:
ros2 run rqt rqt
Troubleshooting Common Issues
ROS 1 Common Issues
- ‘roscore not found’ error:
source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash - Package not found errors:
source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash - rosdep errors:
sudo rosdep init rosdep update
ROS 2 Common Issues
- Environment issues:
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash - colcon build errors:
sudo apt install python3-colcon-common-extensions - Package dependency errors:
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
Managing Multiple ROS Versions
If you have multiple ROS versions installed on the same system, you can create switching scripts:
# ros1.sh
#!/bin/bash
source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash
source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash
export ROS_MASTER_URI=http://localhost:11311
export ROS_VERSION=1
echo "ROS 1 Activated"
# ros2.sh
#!/bin/bash
source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash
source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash
export ROS_VERSION=2
echo "ROS 2 Activated"
Make the scripts executable:
chmod +x ros1.sh ros2.sh
Use them by sourcing:
source ~/ros1.sh # Activate ROS 1
source ~/ros2.sh # Activate ROS 2
Additional Resources
- ROS 1 Official Documentation
- ROS 2 Official Documentation
- ROS Answers (Q&A Site)
- ROS Discourse Forum
One-line Installation Commands for Quick Setup
For those who want a quick setup, here are one-line commands that combine multiple installation steps:
ROS 1 (Noetic) Complete Setup
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb http://packages.ros.org/ros/ubuntu $(lsb_release -sc) main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros-latest.list' && sudo apt install curl -y && curl -s https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.asc | sudo apt-key add - && sudo apt update && sudo apt install ros-noetic-desktop-full -y && echo "source /opt/ros/noetic/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc && sudo apt install python3-rosdep python3-rosinstall python3-rosinstall-generator python3-wstool build-essential -y && sudo rosdep init && rosdep update && mkdir -p ~/catkin_ws/src && cd ~/catkin_ws && catkin_make && echo "source ~/catkin_ws/devel/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
ROS 2 (Humble) Complete Setup
sudo apt update && sudo apt install locales -y && sudo locale-gen en_US en_US.UTF-8 && sudo update-locale LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8 LANG=en_US.UTF-8 && export LANG=en_US.UTF-8 && sudo apt install software-properties-common -y && sudo add-apt-repository universe && sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y && sudo curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.key -o /usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg && echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg] http://packages.ros.org/ros2/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo $UBUNTU_CODENAME) main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ros2.list > /dev/null && sudo apt update && sudo apt install ros-humble-desktop -y && sudo apt install ros-dev-tools -y && echo "source /opt/ros/humble/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc && mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src && cd ~/ros2_ws && colcon build && echo "source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc
These commands are particularly useful for scripting or setting up new development environments quickly.
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