ROS 2 Installation Guide

What is ROS 2?

ROS 2, or Robot Operating System 2, is an open-source software development framework used for building robotics applications.

Despite its name, ROS 2 is not a traditional operating system like Windows or Ubuntu. Instead, it provides libraries, tools, communication mechanisms and development frameworks that help developers build complex robotic systems.

ROS 2 can be used for autonomous mobile robots, robotic arms, drones, industrial robots, research platforms, simulations and many other robotic applications.

Why Should You Learn ROS 2?

ROS 2 is an important technology for students and professionals interested in robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence.

ROS 2 can be used in:

• Autonomous Mobile Robots
• Robotic Arms
• Self-Driving Vehicles
• Drones
• Computer Vision
• SLAM and Navigation
• Industrial Automation
• Robot Simulation
• Research Projects
• AI-powered Robotics

ROS 2 Installation Requirements

This tutorial explains the installation of ROS 2 Jazzy on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• 64-bit computer
• Stable internet connection
• At least 4 GB RAM recommended
• Sudo / administrator access

How to Install ROS 2 Jazzy on Ubuntu 24.04

Follow the steps below carefully. Open Ubuntu Terminal using:

Ctrl + Alt + T

Step 1 – Update Ubuntu

First update the Ubuntu package information and installed packages.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2 – Enable the Universe Repository

Install the repository management tools and enable the Universe repository.

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

sudo add-apt-repository universe

Step 3 – Install Required Utilities

sudo apt install curl gnupg lsb-release -y

Step 4 – Add the ROS 2 Repository Key

Download the ROS repository key.

sudo curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ros/rosdistro/master/ros.key \
-o /usr/share/keyrings/ros-archive-keyring.gpg

Step 5 – Add the ROS 2 Repository

Add the ROS 2 package repository to Ubuntu.

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

Step 6 – Update the Package Repository

sudo apt update

Step 7 – Install ROS 2 Desktop

For beginners, the Desktop installation provides a convenient collection of ROS 2 tools and commonly used packages.

sudo apt install ros-jazzy-desktop -y

Step 8 – Install ROS Development Tools

sudo apt install ros-dev-tools -y

How to Verify ROS 2 Installation

After installation, load the ROS 2 environment:

source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash

Now check whether the ROS 2 command is available:

ros2 --help

Automatically Source ROS 2

Normally, you need to source the ROS 2 environment whenever you open a new terminal.

You can automatically source ROS 2 by adding it to your Bash configuration.

echo "source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc

Reload the configuration:

source ~/.bashrc

Now new terminal windows will automatically load the ROS 2 environment.

Run Your First ROS 2 Demo

ROS 2 includes example nodes that allow you to test communication between ROS 2 processes.

Terminal 1 – Start the Talker

ros2 run demo_nodes_cpp talker

Terminal 2 – Start the Listener

ros2 run demo_nodes_py listener

The talker publishes messages while the listener receives them. If messages are continuously displayed in the listener terminal, ROS 2 communication is working.

What is a ROS 2 Node?

A node is a process that performs a specific task within a ROS 2 system.

A complex robot usually contains multiple nodes.

For example:

• Camera node
• LiDAR node
• Motor controller node
• Navigation node
• Object detection node
• Robot state node

To see currently running nodes:

ros2 node list

What is a ROS 2 Topic?

A topic is a communication channel through which ROS 2 nodes exchange messages.

A publisher sends data to a topic while a subscriber receives data from that topic.

List Available Topics

ros2 topic list

View Topic Information

ros2 topic info /topic_name

View Messages

ros2 topic echo /topic_name

How to Create a ROS 2 Workspace

A workspace is a directory where you develop and build your own ROS 2 packages.

Step 1 – Create the Workspace

mkdir -p ~/ros2_ws/src

cd ~/ros2_ws

The src directory is where your ROS 2 packages will normally be created.

Create Your First ROS 2 Package

ROS 2 applications are usually organized into packages.

Step 1 – Go to the Source Directory

cd ~/ros2_ws/src

Step 2 – Create a Python Package

ros2 pkg create --build-type ament_python --dependencies rclpy std_msgs my_first_package

Step 3 – Return to the Workspace

cd ~/ros2_ws

Step 4 – Build the Workspace

colcon build

Step 5 – Source the Workspace

source install/setup.bash

Create a Simple ROS 2 Publisher

A publisher sends messages to a ROS 2 topic. In this example, we will create a Python node that publishes Hello from ROS 2! every second.

Step 1 – Navigate to the Package

cd ~/ros2_ws/src/my_first_package/my_first_package

Step 2 – Create the Python File

nano publisher.py

Step 3 – Add the Publisher Code

import rclpy
from rclpy.node import Node
from std_msgs.msg import String


class PublisherNode(Node):

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('simple_publisher')

        self.publisher = self.create_publisher(
            String,
            'chatter',
            10
        )

        self.timer = self.create_timer(
            1.0,
            self.publish_message
        )


    def publish_message(self):

        message = String()

        message.data = 'Hello from ROS 2!'

        self.publisher.publish(message)

        self.get_logger().info(
            'Publishing: "%s"' % message.data
        )


def main(args=None):

    rclpy.init(args=args)

    node = PublisherNode()

    rclpy.spin(node)

    node.destroy_node()

    rclpy.shutdown()


if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Save the file and exit the editor.

Create a Simple ROS 2 Subscriber

A subscriber receives messages from a ROS 2 topic.

Step 1 – Create the Subscriber File

cd ~/ros2_ws/src/my_first_package/my_first_package

nano subscriber.py

Step 2 – Add the Subscriber Code

import rclpy
from rclpy.node import Node
from std_msgs.msg import String


class SubscriberNode(Node):

    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__('simple_subscriber')

        self.subscription = self.create_subscription(
            String,
            'chatter',
            self.listener_callback,
            10
        )


    def listener_callback(self, message):

        self.get_logger().info(
            'Received: "%s"' % message.data
        )


def main(args=None):

    rclpy.init(args=args)

    node = SubscriberNode()

    rclpy.spin(node)

    node.destroy_node()

    rclpy.shutdown()


if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Configure the Python Package

To run the Python nodes using the ros2 run command, add executable entry points to the package's setup.py file.

Open setup.py

cd ~/ros2_ws/src/my_first_package

nano setup.py

Find the entry_points section and configure it like this:

entry_points={
    'console_scripts': [
        'publisher = my_first_package.publisher:main',
        'subscriber = my_first_package.subscriber:main',
    ],
},

Save the file and rebuild your workspace.

cd ~/ros2_ws

colcon build

source install/setup.bash

Run Your Publisher

Open a terminal and source the workspace.

cd ~/ros2_ws

source install/setup.bash

ros2 run my_first_package publisher

You should see messages similar to:

Publishing: "Hello from ROS 2!"

Run Your Subscriber

Open another terminal.

cd ~/ros2_ws

source install/setup.bash

ros2 run my_first_package subscriber

The subscriber should receive:

Received: "Hello from ROS 2!"

Useful ROS 2 Commands for Beginners

ROS 2 Help

ros2 --help

List Nodes

ros2 node list

List Topics

ros2 topic list

View Topic Messages

ros2 topic echo /chatter

List Packages

ros2 pkg list

Build Workspace

colcon build

Source ROS 2

source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash

Source Workspace

source install/setup.bash

Common ROS 2 Problems and Solutions

Problem 1 – ros2: command not found

If Ubuntu says that the ros2 command cannot be found, source the ROS 2 environment.

source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash

Problem 2 – colcon: command not found

Install the ROS development tools.

sudo apt install ros-dev-tools -y

Problem 3 – Package Cannot Be Found

Update the Ubuntu package repository.

sudo apt update

Also make sure that the Ubuntu version and ROS 2 distribution are compatible.

Problem 4 – ROS 2 Environment Disappears

Add the ROS 2 environment to your Bash configuration.

echo "source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash" >> ~/.bashrc

source ~/.bashrc

Problem 5 – Publisher and Subscriber Do Not Communicate

Make sure both terminals have the ROS 2 environment sourced.

source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash

source ~/ros2_ws/install/setup.bash

Also verify that both nodes are using the same topic name.

What Should You Learn After Installing ROS 2?

Installing ROS 2 is only the beginning. Once you understand the basic concepts, you can move toward more advanced robotics development.

1. ROS 2 Nodes
2. Topics
3. Services
4. Actions
5. Parameters
6. Launch Files
7. ROS 2 Packages
8. Python and C++
9. TF2
10. URDF
11. RViz
12. Gazebo Simulation
13. SLAM
14. Navigation
15. ROS 2 Control
16. Real Robot Integration

ROS 2 Beginner Concepts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ROS 2?

ROS 2 is an open-source software development framework designed for robotics applications. It provides tools and communication mechanisms that allow different components of a robotic system to work together.

Is ROS 2 an operating system?

No. ROS 2 is not a traditional operating system. It is a robotics software development framework that runs on operating systems such as Ubuntu Linux.

Which Ubuntu version is used in this tutorial?

This tutorial uses Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with ROS 2 Jazzy.

Is ROS 2 free?

ROS 2 is open-source software and can be used for robotics development without purchasing a traditional software license.

Can beginners learn ROS 2?

Yes. ROS 2 can initially seem complicated because it introduces concepts such as nodes, topics, services, actions and packages. Starting with simple publisher and subscriber examples makes learning easier.

Can ROS 2 be used for real robots?

Yes. ROS 2 can be used for robotics research, simulation, prototyping and real robotic systems.

Can ROS 2 run on Windows and macOS?

ROS 2 supports multiple operating systems, although the installation process and level of support can vary depending on the ROS 2 distribution and platform.

Final Thoughts

ROS 2 is a powerful framework for robotics development and is an excellent technology to learn if you are interested in autonomous robots, artificial intelligence, computer vision or robotic systems.

The best way to learn ROS 2 is through hands-on projects. Start with nodes and topics, then gradually move toward sensors, simulation, navigation and real robot integration.