How to Install Nexus Repository Manager on Ubuntu 24.04

In this article, we will cover how to install Nexus Repository Manager on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Effective dependency management and artifact storage are essential for high-quality applications in today’s software development environment. Nexus Repository, an open-source tool by Sonatype, offers a powerful solution for managing binaries, libraries, and other artifacts throughout the development lifecycle. It streamlines collaboration by enabling teams to share and deploy artifacts efficiently.

This article provides a step-by-step guide to installing Nexus Repository on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Whether you’re an experienced developer or just starting, this guide will help you set up your Nexus instance to enhance your development workflow. Let’s get started!

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with minimal installation
• SSH Access with admin privileges

Install OpenJDK 17 on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

apt update
apt install openjdk-17-jdk -y

Verify the installation:

java -version

Download and Install Nexus Repository Manager on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

cd /opt
wget https://download.sonatype.com/nexus/3/nexus-unix-x86-64-3.78.2-04.tar.gz

Once the download is complete, extract the tarball:

tar -xvzf nexus-unix-x86-64-3.78.2-04.tar.gz

Rename the extracted Nexus setup folder to nexus:

mv /opt/nexus-3.78.2-04 /opt/nexus

As a security practice, do not run the Nexus service using the root user, so let’s create a new user named nexus to run the Nexus service:

adduser nexus

To set no password for the Nexus user, open the visudo file in Ubuntu:

visudo

Add the below line into it, save, and exit:

nexus ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

Permit the nexus files and the nexus directory for the nexus user:

chown -R nexus:nexus /opt/nexus
chown -R nexus:nexus /opt/sonatype-work

nano /opt/nexus/bin/nexus.rc

Uncomment and add:

run_as_user="nexus"

Open the /opt/nexus/bin/nexus.vmoptions file:

nano /opt/nexus/bin/nexus.vmoptions

To increase the nexus JVM heap size, you can modify the size as shown below:

-Xms1024m
-Xmx1024m
-XX:MaxDirectMemorySize=1024m

Run Nexus as a service using Systemd

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/nexus.service

Insert the content:

[Unit]
Description=nexus service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=forking
LimitNOFILE=65536
ExecStart=/opt/nexus/bin/nexus start
ExecStop=/opt/nexus/bin/nexus stop
User=nexus
Restart=on-abort

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

systemctl start nexus

Enable Nexus service at system startup:

systemctl enable nexus

Check Nexus service status:

systemctl status nexus

Access Nexus Repository on Web Interface

ufw allow 8081/tcp

Use the command below to open the Nexus repository web interface:

http://server_IP:8081

You will see below the default Nexus page:

To log in to Nexus, click on Sign In. The default username is admin

To find the default password, run the following command:

nano /opt/sonatype-work/nexus3/admin.password

Copy the default Nexus password and login. You can reset the password once logged in to Nexus:

The below Nexus setup wizard will show:

Change the default Nexus admin password:

Configure Anonymous Access:

Click on Finish:

Conclusion:

In this article, we have covered how to install Nexus Repository Manager on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

You have successfully installed Nexus Repository on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS! With your Nexus instance operational, you can now efficiently manage and store your software artifacts, enhancing your development workflow. Explore its features to customize your artifact management and consider integrating it with your CI/CD pipelines for even greater efficiency.