Installing Scala On Fedora Linux

Scala runs on the JVM and combines object-oriented and functional programming. Here’s how to install Scala on Fedora Linux using several methods.

Method 1: Install via Coursier (Recommended)

Coursier is the official Scala installer and handles JDK dependencies automatically:

# Install Coursier
curl -fL https://github.com/coursier/coursier/releases/latest/download/cs-x86_64-pc-linux.gz | gzip -d > cs && chmod +x cs && ./cs setup

# This installs:
# - Scala compiler (scalac)
# - Scala REPL (scala)
# - sbt build tool
# - ammonite (enhanced REPL)
# - scalafmt (code formatter)

After installation, restart your shell or run source ~/.bashrc.

Method 2: Install via SDKMAN

SDKMAN manages multiple versions of JVM-based tools:

# Install SDKMAN
curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash
source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"

# Install latest Scala
sdk install scala

# Install specific version
sdk install scala 3.4.2

# Install sbt (Scala Build Tool)
sdk install sbt

# List available versions
sdk list scala

Method 3: DNF Package Manager

Fedora includes Scala in its repositories (may not be the latest version):

sudo dnf install scala

Verify Installation

scala -version
scalac -version

Scala REPL Quick Start

Launch the REPL to experiment with Scala:

$ scala
Welcome to Scala 3.4.2
Type in expressions for evaluation.

scala> val message = "Hello, Scala!"
val message: String = Hello, Scala!

scala> def add(a: Int, b: Int): Int = a + b
def add(a: Int, b: Int): Int

scala> add(3, 4)
val res0: Int = 7

scala> :quit

Create a Simple Project with sbt

# Create project directory
mkdir myproject && cd myproject

# Create build file
echo 'name := "MyProject"
version := "0.1"
scalaVersion := "3.4.2"' > build.sbt

# Create source file
mkdir -p src/main/scala
cat > src/main/scala/Main.scala << 'EOF'
@main def hello(): Unit =
  println("Hello, Scala 3!")
EOF

# Run
sbt run

Scala 2 vs Scala 3

Scala 3 (released 2021) introduces significant language changes:

New indentation-based syntax (optional)
given/using replaces implicit for context parameters
Extension methods replace implicit classes
Union and intersection types
Omit parentheses for no-arg methods

Most libraries support both Scala 2.13 and Scala 3. For new projects, use Scala 3 unless you have a specific dependency that requires 2.13.

IDE Support

Metals is the recommended Scala language server, works with VS Code and other editors:

# Install Metals for VS Code
# Install the "Scala (Metals)" extension from the marketplace

# For Vim/Neovim with CoC or nvim-lsp
# Metals is auto-configured by most Scala plugins

IntelliJ IDEA with the Scala plugin provides the most full-featured Scala development environment with debugger integration, refactoring, and sbt support.

Quick Reference

Coursier setup — Install Scala and tools (recommended)
sdk install scala — SDKMAN method
sudo dnf install scala — System package
sbt new scala/scala3.g8 — Create new project from template
sbt run — Build and run
sbt console — REPL with project dependencies

Building and Running Scala Projects

Common sbt commands for daily development:

sbt compile          # Compile the project
sbt test             # Run all tests
sbt "testOnly *.MySpec"  # Run specific test
sbt assembly         # Build a fat JAR
sbt run              # Run the main class
sbt console          # REPL with project classpath
sbt reload           # Reload build.sbt changes
sbt clean            # Clean build artifacts

Scala Resources

Official documentation and learning resources:

Scala Documentation: https://docs.scala-lang.org
Scala Exercises: https://www.scala-exercises.org
Scastie: https://scastie.scala-lang.org (online playground)
Rock the JVM: Popular Scala tutorial series

Scala is well-suited for data engineering (Apache Spark), backend services (Akka/Pekka), and functional programming. The strong type system catches errors at compile time that would be runtime errors in dynamically typed languages.

Installing Scala on Fedora Linux