Opera is a freeware, cross-platform web browser developed by Opera Software and operates as a Chromium-based browser. Opera offers a clean, modern web browser that is an alternative to the other major players in the Browser race. Its famous Opera Turbo mode and its renowned battery-saving mode are the best amongst all known web browsers by quite a margin, along with a built-in VPN and much more.
In the following tutorial, you will learn how to install Opera Browser on openSUSE Leap 15.
Prerequisites
- Recommended OS: openSUSE Leap – 15.x.
- User account: A user account with sudo or root access.
- Required Packages: wget
Update Operating System
Update your openSUSE operating system to make sure all existing packages are up to date:
sudo zypper refreshOnce refreshed, run the update command.
sudo zypper updateThe tutorial will be using the sudo command and assuming you have sudo status.
To verify sudo status on your account:
sudo whoamiExample output showing sudo status:
[joshua@opensuse ~]$ sudo whoami
rootTo set up an existing or new sudo account, visit our tutorial on adding a User to Sudoers on openSUSE.
To use the root account, use the following command with the root password to log in.
suThe tutorial will use the terminal for installation found in Activities> Show Applications > Terminal.
Example:
Create & Import Opera Repository on openSUSE Leap
By default, Opera Browser is not included in the standard openSUSE repositories. However, you can quickly create and import the official repository on your system by doing the following.
First, copy and paste the following into your openSUSE terminal to create the repository.
sudo tee /etc/zypp/repos.d/opera.repo <<RPMREPO
[opera]
name=Opera packages
type=rpm-md
baseurl=https://rpm.opera.com/rpm
gpgcheck=1
gpgkey=https://rpm.opera.com/rpmrepo.key
enabled=1
autorefresh=1
keeppackages=0
RPMREPONext, import the GPG to verify the authenticity of the package.
sudo rpm --import https://rpm.opera.com/rpmrepo.keyNow refresh your repository cache to make sure everything is in working order.
sudo zypper refreshIf you followed the tutorial and already imported the GPG key, this should work quickly without any prompts for GPG importing.
Install Opera Browser on openSUSE Leap
Now that you have imported the repository, you can install Opera using the following command.
sudo zypper install opera-stableExample output:
Type “Y,” then press the “ENTER KEY” to proceed with the install.
Verify Opera Browser Stable
Once installed, confirm the version of Opera Browser installed. This will also verify the installation was successful.
opera --versionExample output:
82.0.4227.43Optional. Install Opera Browser Beta or Developer build
Alternatively, you can install Brave Beta or Developer builds if you have downloaded the repositories. These two versions are not recommended daily, especially not on a main desktop or production server. However, you can install alternative versions for those who want to live on the edge.
Install Opera Browser Beta
sudo zypper install opera-betaInstall Opera Browser Developer
sudo zypper install opera-developerNote, these do not replace your stable version, and they are installed separately.
Next, verify the installation of beta or unstable, use the following command.
Verify Opera Browser Beta
opera-beta --versionExample output:
83.0.4254.9Verify Opera Browser Developer
opera-developer --versionExample output:
84.0.4274.0How to Launch Opera Browser
With the installation complete, you can run Opera in a few different ways.
First, while you are in your terminal, you can use the following command:
operaAlternatively, run the opera & command in the background to free up the terminal:
opera &However, this isn’t practical, and you would use the following path on your desktop to open with the path: Activities > Show Applications > Opera.
If you cannot find it, use the search function in the Show Applications menu if you have many applications installed.
Example:
Now open Opera Browser, you will see the landing page. Looks nice?
Congratulations, you have successfully installed Opera Browser on your openSUSE Leap 15 desktop.
How to Update Opera Browser
To update, run the zypper refresh & update command in your terminal as you would check your entire system for any updates.
sudo zypper refreshIf one is available, use the upgrade option:
sudo zypper updateHow to Remove (Uninstall) Opera Browser
To remove the Vivaldi Browser, execute the following terminal command:
Remove Opera Browser Stable
sudo zypper remove opera-stableRemove Opera Browser Beta
sudo zypper remove opera-betaRemove Opera Browser Developer
sudo zypper remove opera-developerNote that this will remove any unused dependencies originally installed with Opera Browser.
Remove Opera Browser Repository
To remove the repository from your openSUSE system, use the following command.
sudo zypper rr operaExample output:
Removing repository 'Opera packages' ................................................[done]
Repository 'Opera packages' has been removed.As above, this time, you are using “rr” instead of “ar”, to check if this was successful, use the following command to see if the Vivaldi repository remains in your repo list.
zypper lr -dThis list should contain no Opera repositories, and you have successfully removed Opera Browser and its repositories in full.
Comments and Conclusion
In the tutorial, you have learned how to import the Opera RPM and install the web browser by choosing either stable, beta, or developers branches.
Overall, Opera uses the Chromium page-rendering engine, so you’ll rarely run into site incompatibilities. Performance is fast, perhaps not the feast in the field. Still, it keeps its own and has unique features that make this an attractive alternative for many mainstream Linux users who want something different besides Firefox that comes standard on nearly all Linux machines.
