How to Install Deluge BitTorrent Client on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Deluge is a free, open-source BitTorrent client for those looking for more features than traditional BitTorrent clients. It has comprehensive Protocol Encryption, DHT, Local Peer Discovery (LSD), Peer Exchange (PEX), UPnP, NAT-PMP, Proxy support, Web seeds, global and per-torrent speed limits. If you are looking for a more customizable BitTorrent experience or want to torrent anonymously, then Deluge is a good option.

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install the Deluge BitTorrent Client desktop on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish using various methods such as Ubuntu’s default repository, the Deluge team LaunchPAD PPA, or third party managers such as Snapcraft or Flatpak using the command line terminal.

Update Ubuntu

Before proceeding, ensure your Ubuntu system is up-to-date using the following command.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Deluge Desktop Client – APT with Ubuntu Method

Most users’ first and easiest method is to install Deluge using the standard Jammy Jellyfish repository.

Install Deluge desktop client using the following command.

sudo apt install deluge -y

For users who want a more updated version, I recommend using one of the PPA versions or the desktop client version from Snapcraft or Flatpak+.

Install Deluge Desktop Client – APT with PPA Method

Often Ubuntu LTS releases can lag behind new releases of software in the effort to keep systems stable and only release security patches. Given in time, new software versions are available that can contain new features and general performance improvements. You may want to install a more recent version.

Luckily, the “Deluge” team has a PPA that can achieve this with a stable or development version to select from.

Before proceeding, run the following command to ensure the following dependencies are installed.

sudo apt install software-properties-common -y

Next, import the PPA using the following command. Please note that only one version can be installed simultaneously, so if you import both, then unstable will be installed as it is the newest version.

Import Stable Deluge PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/stable -y

Import Development (Bleeding-Edge) PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/develop -y

Run an APT update to sync the changes.

sudo apt-get update

Install Deluge

Install the BitTorrent client for your desktop with the PPA imported.

sudo apt install deluge -y

Alternatively, you can use the upgrade command if you have the editor installed already, but I would always advise running the install command.

Install Deluge Desktop Client – Snapcraft Method

The second option is to install with Snap. The Snapcraft package manager should be installed on your Ubuntu desktop unless you have removed it previously.

Overall, Snaps are not as popular as Flatpak, given that it is made by the same owners behind Ubuntu and its history and forcing users to adapt to it. Given that Flatpak has a more significant adoption rate than other Linux distributions, the maintainers of packages are quicker to update Flatpak versions than Snapcraft versions; this is again dependent on who is maintaining it.

For users that removed snapd, re-run the following command:

sudo apt install snapd -y

Once installed, you will need to restart your system, or else the icons may not appear; if you skip a repeat and notice any issues, reboot.

reboot

Snap installed? Skip the following few lines and proceed straight to the installation with Snap

Next, some packages come in classic, so you need to create a symlink to enable classic snap support, so it is best to run this command for the best snap compatibility.

sudo ln -s /var/lib/snapd/snap /snap

Install the core files to avoid conflicting issues.

sudo snap install core

Next, install the snap version of the software.

sudo snap install deluge-lukewh

Install Deluge Desktop Client – Flatpak Method

The last option is to use the Flatpak package manager, which is not installed on Ubuntu distributions, given Snap, which is Flatpak’s rival, is owned by Canonical and Ubuntu. However, Flatpak is still available to install from Ubuntu’s default repository.

The extra benefit of using Flatpak installations is that you will always have the most up-to-date version compared to the Ubuntu default repository, which focuses on stability with older versions that only see updates for security issues or serve bugs unless the Flatpak maintainer goes AWOL, but this is a risk with using any third-party PPA or package manager.

First, install the Flatpak manager; this can be skipped if you already have it installed.

sudo apt install flatpak -y

Next, you need to enable Flatpack using the following command in your terminal:

sudo flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Ideally, you should reboot at this stage; if you skip this and notice icons not appearing, the reboot will generate the paths required for the future.

reboot

Now run the installation using the following flatpak command.

flatpak install flathub org.deluge_torrent.deluge -y

How to Launch Deluge Desktop Client

Launching the application can be done in a few different methods, while in your terminal, you can use the following command.

deluge

Alternatively, you can launch it from the terminal and send it to the background to keep using the terminal instance using the following.

deluge &

Snapcraft users can launch from the terminal using the following command.

sudo snap run deluge

Lastly, Flatpak users run the following terminal command.

flatpak run org.deluge_torrent.deluge

For desktop users, find the icon application and possibly add it to your favorites.

The location path can be found in Activities > Show Applications > Deluge

Example:

Once open, you can begin adding or creating torrents. The UI is straightforward, and users, no matter how a novice, should be able to figure this out. If you are stuck, Deluge has documentation that can assist you.

Example (Taken from development PPA):

How to Update/Upgrade Deluge Desktop Client

Updates should appear in notifications, but if these fail to show sometimes, it is recommended to check using the terminal regardless use one of the following commands to check for updates.

APT Method

sudo apt update

Flatpak Method

flatpak update

Snap Method

sudo snap refresh

How to Remove (Uninstall) Deluge Desktop Client

Use one of the following commands to suit the original installation method for users who no longer require the application.

APT Remove Method

sudo apt autoremove deluge* --purge -y

Note that autoremove will also delete any unused packages from Deluge and any other leftovers from previous applications. Most times, this is safe to do and should be done to keep your system from being bloated.

Lastly, users who installed Deluge using one of the two listed PPAs. Remove the PPA using the following command with the –remove flag added to the original command.

Remove Deluge Stable PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/stable --remove -y

Remove Deluge Development PPA

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:deluge-team/develop --remove -y

Flatpak Remove Method

flatpak remove  --delete-data org.deluge_torrent.deluge -y

Next, run the following command for any leftover clean-ups required, similar to the autoremove command described for the apt remove example command.

flatpak remove --unused

Snapcraft Remove Method

sudo snap remove --purge deluge-lukewh

Comments and Conclusion

In the tutorial, you have learned various ways to install the Deluge BitTorrent desktop client on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish.

Overall, the features that come with Deluge are extensive but not as heavy as others that focus on more than the average BitTorrent client handles, but this is users’ choice. If Deluge does not impress you, my suggestion would be to check out qBittorrent as, in my opinion, they are the best of the bunch.