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Ubuntu Terminal for Android

An Android app that provides a full Ubuntu terminal experience using proot - no root required.

How it works

  1. The app downloads an Ubuntu root filesystem on first launch
  2. Uses proot to create a chroot-like environment without root privileges
  3. Provides a terminal emulator (based on VT100/xterm) with full keyboard support
  4. All processing happens on-device - no servers or internet required after setup

Features

  • Full Ubuntu 24.04 LTS userland
  • apt-get package manager support
  • Compile and run C, Python, Go, Rust, and more
  • Runs bash, vim, nano, htop, and other terminal apps
  • No root required
  • No external dependencies

Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Android 7.0+ (API 24+)
  • 500MB+ free storage for Ubuntu rootfs

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/ubuntu-terminal-android.git
cd ubuntu-terminal-android

# Build with Gradle
./gradlew assembleDebug

# The APK will be at:
# app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk

Installing

  1. Build the APK (see above) or download from Releases
  2. Enable "Install from Unknown Sources" in Android settings
  3. Install the APK
  4. Open "Ubuntu Terminal" app
  5. Click "Start Setup" to download the Ubuntu rootfs
  6. Once setup completes, you'll get an Ubuntu terminal

Project Structure

ubuntu-terminal-android/
├── app/
│   ├── build.gradle.kts              # App build configuration
│   └── src/main/
│       ├── AndroidManifest.xml
│       ├── java/
│       │   ├── com/ubuntuterminal/    # App code
│       │   │   ├── MainActivity.kt    # Entry point
│       │   │   ├── SetupActivity.kt   # First-run setup
│       │   │   ├── TerminalActivity.kt# Terminal UI
│       │   │   ├── TerminalService.kt # Foreground service
│       │   │   └── TermuxJNI.java     # JNI bridge for PTY
│       │   ├── com/termux/terminal/   # Terminal emulator engine
│       │   └── com/termux/view/       # Terminal rendering
│       └── jni/
│           └── termux-jni.c          # PTY native code (CMake)
├── scripts/
│   ├── build-proot.sh                # Download proot binaries
│   └── download-ubuntu-rootfs.sh     # Download Ubuntu rootfs
├── .github/workflows/build.yml       # GitHub Actions CI/CD
├── build.gradle.kts                  # Root build file
└── settings.gradle.kts

Technology

Component Technology
UI Jetpack Compose (planned) / Android Views
Terminal Emulator Custom VT100/xterm emulator
Linux Environment proot (ptrace-based chroot)
PTY JNI + Linux pseudo-terminals
Build System Gradle + CMake + NDK
CI/CD GitHub Actions

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Credits

  • proot - ptrace-based chroot
  • Termux - terminal emulator and environment for Android
  • proot-distro - Linux distro management