Linux users who need to create diagrams will commonly use Dia. In addition to Dia, there is also another diagramming tool you can use on Linux. It is yEd Graph Editor.
yEd Graph Editor is a cross-platform diagram tool, available for Linux, Windows and macOS. You can install it on your computer and use it without spending a dime. You can create any type of diagram using yEd Graph Editor. Like UMLs, flowcharts, network diagrams, mind maps, organizaton charts and so on.
yEd Graph Editor was written in Java. This tool is developed by yWorks GmbH. Unlike Dia, yEd Graph Editor is not an open source software. For the Linux platform, yEd Graph Editor is available in a binary file with the extension of .sh so you can install yEd Graph Editor on any distro. This installer file ofyEd Graph Editor already included a suitable Java 8 JRE. This article will show you how to install yEd Graph Editor on Linux.
Install yEd Graph Editor on Linux
Download the binary file of yEd Graph Editor on its official site here. The size of this binary file is about 85.9 MB. Once the downloading process is done, open terminal and enter to the directory where the binary file of yEd Graph Editor is located using cd command and type the following command.
chmod +x yEd-3.17.2_64-bit_setup.sh
The command above is used to change the permission of “yEd-3.17.2_64-bit_setup.sh” file. You need to give the execute permission (+x) to “yEd-3.17.2_64-bit_setup.sh” file before starting to install. Next, run the following command. Be sure to include the dot and slash symbols.
./yEd-3.17.2_64-bit_setup.sh
After a moment, you should see a wizard that will lead you step by step through the installation. Click the Next button on the first step.
Next, you will be asked to accept the license agreement. Simply accept and click the Next button.
On the next step, you will asked to select the folder where you want yEd Graph Editor to be installed. By default, the installer already created a folder named “yEd” under your home directory. But, if you want it, you can change this. Once you done specifying a folder, click the Next button.
Next, you will asked to select a directory where should yEd Graph Editor create symbolic links to the the executable files of yEd Graph Editor components. If you are not sure about this, simply click the Next button.
You don’t need to manually create a new desktop launcher since the yEd Graph Editor installer will create it. Click the Next button to continue.
The yEd Graph Editor installer will extract and copy the necessary files. Wait a moment until this process is done and click the Finish button.
Done!. You can now start working on diagrams using yEd Graph Editor.