What you'll have by the end

A working Linux terminal on your Android phone with package management, storage access, and SSH keys — ready to install any language runtime or dev tool.

Time: ~10 minutes
Requirements: Android 7.0+, F-Droid (recommended)

Step 1 — Install Termux

Skip the Play Store version — it's outdated. Get Termux from F-Droid instead.

›Open f-droid.org in your browser
›Download and install the F-Droid app
›Search for Termux and install it

Why F-Droid? The Google Play version of Termux hasn't been updated since 2020. The F-Droid version is actively maintained and receives regular updates.

Step 2 — First launch

Open Termux. You'll see a bare terminal prompt. Let's get it updated.

bash

pkg update && pkg upgrade -y

This updates all base packages. It'll take a minute — let it run.

Step 3 — Grant storage access

bash

termux-setup-storage

Tap Allow when the permission dialog appears. After this, your storage is mounted at ~/storage/.

Step 4 — Install essential tools

bash

pkg install -y git curl wget nano openssh

What each one does:

›git — version control, cloning repos
›curl / wget — downloading files and scripts
›nano — simple text editor for editing files in terminal
›openssh — SSH client for remote servers and GitHub

Step 5 — Set up SSH keys for GitHub

bash

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your@email.com"
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Copy the output → GitHub → Settings → SSH Keys → New SSH Key → paste it.

Test the connection:

bash

ssh -T git@github.com

You should see: Hi username! You've successfully authenticated.

Step 6 — Configure git

bash

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your@email.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

You're ready

›Install Node.js → Node.js setup guide
›Install Go → Go setup guide
›Browse the Script Vault → one-tap installs for everything

Troubleshooting

pkg update fails with network error
Try switching Termux's mirror: termux-change-repo and select a different region.

Storage permission denied after termux-setup-storage
Go to Android Settings → Apps → Termux → Permissions → Files and media → Allow.

SSH key not working with GitHub
Make sure you copied the .pub file, not the private key. Run cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub again and re-paste.