How to Install ClickHouse on Ubuntu

ClickHouse is a high-performance column-oriented database designed for real-time analytics and large-scale data processing. Installing it on Ubuntu is straightforward using the official ClickHouse repository.

Step 1: Update System Packages

Start by updating your system to avoid dependency issues.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

ClickHouse requires HTTPS support and basic tools.

sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg

Step 3: Add the ClickHouse Repository

Import the official ClickHouse GPG key:

curl -fsSL https://packages.clickhouse.com/CLICKHOUSE-KEY.GPG | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/clickhouse.gpg

Add the repository to APT sources:

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/clickhouse.gpg] https://packages.clickhouse.com/deb stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/clickhouse.list

Update package lists:

sudo apt update

Step 4: Install ClickHouse Server and Client

Install both the server and CLI client:

sudo apt install -y clickhouse-server clickhouse-client

Step 5: Start and Enable ClickHouse Service

Enable ClickHouse to start on boot and run it immediately:

sudo systemctl enable --now clickhouse-server

Check service status:

systemctl status clickhouse-server

You should see active (running).

Step 6: Connect to ClickHouse

Use the ClickHouse client to connect locally:

clickhouse-client

Test with a simple query:

SELECT version();

If a version is returned, ClickHouse is working correctly.

Step 7: Configure Network Access (Optional)

By default, ClickHouse listens on localhost only.

Edit the config file:

sudo nano /etc/clickhouse-server/config.xml

Find and update:

<listen_host>::</listen_host>

Restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart clickhouse-server

Open the default port if UFW is enabled:

sudo ufw allow 9000/tcp

ClickHouse is optimized for analytical queries, not transactional workloads. Use it for logs, metrics, analytics, and event data — not as a drop-in replacement for MySQL or PostgreSQL.