How to Install GUI on Ubuntu Server 18.04 Bionic Beaver

Ubuntu Server, by default, is a command-line operating system adapted for headless servers. However, for users requiring a desktop environment for development or administration, installing a graphical user interface (GUI) can be beneficial. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing a lightweight desktop environment on your Ubuntu Server 18.04 Bionic Beaver.

Objective

Ubuntu server GUI does not come installed by default on Ubuntu 18.04 Bionic Beaver. However, this does not mean that a desktop environment cannot be installed on your server. This guide will provide you with the information on how to install a GUI on your Ubuntu server 18.04.

Operating System and Software Versions

Operating System: Ubuntu Server 18.04 Bionic Beaver

Requirements

Privileged access to your Ubuntu System as root or via sudo command is required.

Difficulty

EASY

Conventions

Requires usage of sudo before certain Linux commands.

Introduction

Select GUI for your server

First, make a selection of which GUI you wish to install on your server. When making a choice about which GUI to install, consider your server's resources. Perhaps you do not want to run the default Ubuntu GNOME desktop or the KDE Plasma environment. Both desktop environments might please you aesthetically but both will consume much of your server's resources.

There is a number of desktop environments which can be installed on your server. The Lubuntu desktop is perhaps the most lightweight GUI you can have on your Ubuntu server. Next in line is the Xfce4 GUI, followed by Mate and so on.

Select a Display Manager

Furthermore, choose a display manager. All of the tasksel core desktop installation tasks include installation of a lightweight display manager. However, if you decide to install a GUI on your Ubuntu server using apt directly, make sure to choose a low-profile display manager like slim, xdm, or lightdm. GDM3 is simply an overkill in this case.

Instructions

Mate Core Server Desktop

To install the Mate desktop environment on your Ubuntu server, use the following command:

sudo tasksel install ubuntu-mate-core

Once the GUI installation is finished, start your display manager using the following command, or simply restart your Ubuntu server if that is an option:

sudo service lightdm start

Lubuntu Core Server Desktop

Lubuntu core could be the most resource-lightweight GUI for your Ubuntu 18.04 server. Lubuntu is based on the LXDE desktop environment. To begin the installation, use the following command:

sudo tasksel install lubuntu-core

Once the lubuntu-core GUI is installed, start the display manager using the following command, or simply restart your Ubuntu server if that is an option:

sudo service lightdm start

Xubuntu Server Core Desktop

Xubuntu core is a spin-off of the Xfce4 desktop environment. To begin the installation, use the following command:

sudo tasksel install xubuntu-core

After this GUI is installed, start the display manager using the following command, or simply restart your Ubuntu server if that is an option:

sudo service lightdm start

Xfce Desktop

It is also possible to install a GUI on your Ubuntu server directly. The following command will install a xfce4 GUI along with slim, a simple display manager:

sudo apt install xfce4 slim

After this GUI is installed, start the display manager using the following command, or simply restart your Ubuntu server if that is an option:

sudo service slim start

Conclusion

So many choices of GUIs for your Ubuntu server! Pick wisely; the bigger the better does not necessarily apply in this case. I have deliberately avoided KDE and GNOME graphical user interfaces. The reason being is that they are perhaps the least suited graphical user interfaces for any server. However, if you feel to install KDE on your Ubuntu 18.04 server, you can do it by typing the following command:

sudo tasksel kubuntu-desktop

Or if GNOME is what you are after, enter:

sudo tasksel ubuntu-desktop

Remember to install a lightweight desktop environment to ensure that your server maintains optimal performance and resource efficiency.