Install C3 on Ubuntu 24.04

C3 is a programming language designed to be a modern alternative to C with a focus on simplicity and safety. It aims to retain the low-level control and efficiency that C offers, while introducing features that make development more productive and less error-prone. This tutorial shows how to install C3 on Ubuntu 24.04.

Prepare environment

C3 requires GNU C compiler. Install it using the following command:

sudo apt install -y gcc

Install C3

Download tar.gz file from GitHub releases page:

wget -qO c3.tar.gz https://github.com/c3lang/c3c/releases/latest/download/c3-linux.tar.gz

Extract the tar.gz file to specified directory:

sudo tar xf c3.tar.gz -C /opt

We can create a symbolic link to the c3c command in the /usr/local/bin directory:

sudo ln -s /opt/c3/c3c /usr/local/bin/c3c

Now c3c can be used as a system-wide command for all users. Verify the installation by checking the C3 version:

c3c --version

Remove no longer needed file:

rm -rf c3.tar.gz

Testing C3

Create a main.c3 file:

nano main.c3

Add the following code:

module hello_world;
import std::io;

fn void main()
{
   io::printn("Hello world");
}

Compile a code:

c3c compile main.c3 -o test

Run a program:

./test

Uninstall C3

To completely remove C3, delete the installation directory:

sudo rm -rf /opt/c3

Remove symbolic link:

sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/c3c