How To Install Traccar on Ubuntu 24.04

Traccar is an open-source GPS tracking platform that allows you to monitor vehicles, devices, and assets in real-time. This guide walks you through a manual installation of Traccar on Ubuntu 24.04, ensuring a stable and production-ready setup.

Step 1: Update Your System

First, ensure your system is up-to-date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Install Java, unzip, wget, and UFW:

sudo apt install -y openjdk-17-jdk unzip wget ufw 

• OpenJDK 17: Required to run Traccar server

• Unzip & Wget: For downloading and extracting Traccar

• UFW: Firewall management

Verify Java installation: 

java -version

Step 3: Create a Dedicated Traccar User

For security, run Traccar under its own system user:

sudo useradd -r -s /bin/false traccar

This creates a system user with no login shell. 

Step 4: Create Installation Directory

Set up a directory for Traccar files:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/traccar
sudo chown traccar:traccar /opt/traccar
sudo chmod 755 /opt/traccar

Step 5: Download Traccar

Traccar can be downloaded from the official website, with a SourceForge mirror as a fallback:

# Official site
wget -O /tmp/traccar-latest.zip https://www.traccar.org/download/traccar-linux-64-latest.zip

# If the official download fails, fallback to SourceForge
wget -O /tmp/traccar-6.10.0.zip https://sourceforge.net/projects/traccar.mirror/files/v6.10.0/traccar-linux-64-6.10.0.zip/download

Step 6: Unpack and Prepare Traccar

Unzip the downloaded package to the installation directory:

sudo unzip /tmp/traccar-latest.zip -d /opt/traccar
sudo chown -R traccar:traccar /opt/traccar

Make the Traccar installer executable:

sudo chmod 755 /opt/traccar/traccar.run

Step 7: Install Traccar as a Service

Run the Traccar installer: 

sudo /opt/traccar/traccar.run install

This will create a systemd service to manage Traccar automatically.

Start and enable the service:

sudo systemctl enable --now traccar
sudo systemctl status traccar

Step 8: Configure Firewall

Allow Traccar’s default port (8082) through UFW:

sudo ufw allow 8082/tcp
sudo ufw status

Step 9: Access Traccar Web Interface

Once the service is running, you can access Traccar via:

http://<YOUR_SERVER_IP>:8082

The default credentials for Traccar can be found in the official documentation after the first login.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you now have a fully functioning Traccar server on Ubuntu 24.04. You have:

• Installed required dependencies including OpenJDK

• Created a dedicated system user for security

• Downloaded and installed Traccar with fallback options

• Enabled Traccar as a systemd service for automatic startup

• Configured the firewall for safe access

Your GPS devices can now report locations, and you can manage them via the Traccar web dashboard.