Recently, I noticed a sentence on the SAP Development Tools website stating that you don’t need an SAP GUI for ABAP development in conjunction with SAP S/4HANA Cloud ABAP Environment and SAP BTP ABAP Environment.
I’d actually been aware of this for a while. But that’s when I finally realized that you really ONLY need the Eclipse development environment. It was also at that moment that the idea of trying out ABAP development on a Linux basis was born.
I’ve worked successfully with Linux in the server area over the years. So I also knew that there was an Eclipse variant for Linux distributions.
Moreover, there had just been a report in the media that Linux was gaining popularity as a desktop operating system (exceeding 5% of users). So why not build a small ABAP Development Box (ABAP DevBox) based on Linux?
I’ll give you the result in advance: It worked, wasn’t complicated, and you can develop comfortably on the SAP BTP ABAP Environment Trial as usual.
So if you’re a bit experimental or just want to try an operating system other than Windows (and don’t have macOS available), you can try out the ABAP DevBox setup described below. In terms of effort, it’s a nice little afternoon project with interesting insights.
Have fun.
Choice of Linux distribution
There are an incredible number of Linux distributions with different objectives. I was looking for an easy-to-install Linux distribution with a user-friendly user interface.
I ultimately decided on Ubuntu Desktop. According to the company, it offers thousands of applications, including Eclipse, but also Visual Studio Code. This Linux variant also seems to work well with typical business hardware from HP, Dell, and other manufacturers.
At 6 GB, the ISO image isn’t exactly small, but it actually only contains the operating system including the graphical interface (GNOME desktop environment) and a few basic applications. So, it’s free of unnecessary clutter and ideal for adding only the applications you really need.
Virtual Machine via VirtualBox
Since I didn’t have a physical system available for my DevBox, I created a virtual machine using VirtualBox (25 GB hard drive, 16 GB RAM, 4 processors). Using the Ubuntu Desktop ISO image, the installation is quick and easy.
You should definitely install the VirtualBox Guest Additions on the Ubuntu desktop to benefit from a better resolution and, for example, copy and paste between the host OS (Windows 11) and the guest OS (Ubuntu Desktop).
Eclipse
The current version of Eclipse installed smoothly via the Ubuntu Software Center. Eclipse feels a bit faster on the Ubuntu desktop than on Windows. However, this is purely subjective. Visually, everything is the same.
ABAP Development Tools
The ABAP Development Tools could be installed in Eclipse as usual using the procedure described here.
Eclipse Plugins
Common ABAP-specific plugins for Eclipse, such as abapGit and ABAP Cleaner, were easy to install and also work perfectly under Linux. This demonstrates the advantage of an extensible development environment.
ABAP Cloud Project
Access to the SAP BTP ABAP Environment Trial was quickly set up as an ABAP Cloud project, as usual, and development could begin immediately.
By the way, I replaced the internet browser required for logging into the SAP BTP ABAP Environment Trial. Ubuntu ships with Firefox by default. I replaced it with Chromium, which I’d wanted to try out anyway.
SAP GUI für Java
The SAP GUI is available in a Java based version that runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS. I haven’t tested it yet, but I assume it also works on Ubuntu Desktop. So, for example, you can also work with an on-premises S/4HANA via the SAP GUI for Java.
SAP GUI for HTML may also be suitable for many scenarios. It doesn’t require any client-side installation.
Not planned, but still nice
Since I used a virtual machine to install Ubuntu Desktop, you can create a snapshot of this machine at any time using VirtualBox, try something in the guest OS, such as installing a new application, and then revert to the snapshot if necessary.
You can also back up the entire virtual machine to the host OS by copying the relevant files. The machine doesn’t use the specified 25 GB of disk space, but apparently only the actual required space (in my case, currently around 15 GB).
Summary
Based on my initial experiences, the Ubuntu desktop is a great alternative to the typical ABAP development process on Windows.
You get to experience a different operating system and see how you get along with it. Perhaps, in the long run, it will become THE new operating system you enjoy working with. All in all, a wealth of interesting experiences and exciting possibilities for the future.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed the post, please share the article with your community. Thanks in advance.
Michael