This document explains how to get started with Lean and mathlib on a generic Linux distribution (there is a specific page for Debian and derived distribtions such as Ubuntu).
All commands below should be typed inside a terminal.
-
Lean itself doesn't depend on much infrastructure, but supporting tools needed by most users require
git,curl, andpython. So the first step is to get those. -
You will also need a code editor that has a Lean plugin. The recommended choice is Visual Studio Code. The alternative is to use Emacs, and its lean-mode.
- Install VS Code.
- Launch VS Code.
- Click on the extension icon
(or
in older versions) in the side bar on the left edge of
the screen (or press ShiftCtrlX) and search for leanprover. - Click "install" (In old versions of VSCode, you might need to click "reload" afterwards)
- Verify Lean is working, for example by saving a file
test.leanand entering#eval 1+1. A green line should appear underneath#eval 1+1, and hovering the mouse over it you should see2displayed.
-
The next step installs a small tool called
elanwhich will handle updating Lean according to the needs of your current project (hit Enter when a question is asked). It will live in$HOME/.elanand add a line to$HOME/.profile.curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Kha/elan/master/elan-init.sh -sSf | sh -
Then we install a small tool called
update-mathlibthat which will handle updating mathlib according to the needs of your current project. It will live in$HOME/.mathliband add a line to$HOME/.profile.curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/leanprover-community/mathlib-tools/master/scripts/remote-install-update-mathlib.sh -sSf | bash
You can now read instructions about creating and working on Lean projects