Unlocking the Power of IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate with the GitHub Student Developer Pack

Chirayu V Gangadkar — Tue, 15 Oct 2024 12:47:39 +0000

Hey there, Coders!

I have an exciting surprise exclusively for STUDENTS! If you're a student, this one’s for you—so let’s dive right into the topic.

GitHub is a renowned open-source platform where you can host your projects and share code snippets. But why am I so enthusiastic about GitHub? The answer lies in something special it offers the GitHub Student Developer Pack!

This incredible resource gives students access to a variety of premium software tools, cloud services, databases, and learning resources—all for free! Isn’t that amazing? While many students may already be aware of GitHub, not everyone knows about the wealth of tools available in this pack, or they might still be exploring what’s out there.

In this article, we’ll focus on one of the most popular integrated development environments (IDEs)—the IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate. While it’s typically a paid product, students can get it for free for an entire year! Exciting, right? You’re almost there to uncover the secret!

But how do you get started with IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate? Don’t worry—I’ll provide you with a step-by-step guide to installing it on Windows and activating it using the special access that GitHub has granted to students.

Let’s get started!

IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) designed primarily for Java development, but it also supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks. Developed by JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA is favoured by many developers for its robust features, intelligent code assistance, and comprehensive tools that enhance productivity.

JetBrains is renowned for its powerful integrated development environments (IDEs), especially IntelliJ IDEA, which comes in two fantastic editions.

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition:

A free and open-source version ideal for beginners and hobbyists. It offers essential features like code completion and debugging, perfect for learning Java and Kotlin. The Community Edition allows students to dive into programming without any financial barriers.

_IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate _:

The paid version of the IDE offers advanced features for professional developers and supports a wide range of languages and frameworks. With tools for database management, web development, and in-depth code analysis, Ultimate equips you with everything you need. Students can get this version for free with the GitHub Student Developer Pack.

*There's a catch here. How can students benefit from Ultimate when it's made for professional developers? *

IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate offers advanced features such as smart code completion, in-depth debugging, and powerful refactoring tools. It supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks, helping students tackle various projects. The IDE is favoured in enterprise environments for its robust capabilities and includes integrated database management and seamless version control for teamwork on projects.

You can check out this Link IntelliJ IDEA Editions Comparison which compares Community and Ultimate Editions.

I guess it was too much of an explanation. Let's now jump into installation and how you can register for STUDENT DEVELOPER PACK by GITHUB.

To register for the STUDENT DEVELOPER PACK, you must be a student and well-known! But there are a few things you need to set up before you register for the STUDENT DEVELOPER PACK.

The first thing you need to do is create a GitHub account.
Please ensure that you have enabled two-step authentication for your GitHub account.
You need to add the billing address in the billing section of your GitHub account.
After setting up, ensure you have your College/University ID card and the college-provided email for students.

You can find a tutorial on how to register for the STUDENT DEVELOPER PACK by clicking on this YouTube link: Registration for Student Developer Pack On GitHub

Great job! You received a delightful message from GitHub granting you access to free resources and tools. How wonderful!

"Now, let's start using IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate."

Before that, we need to create an IntelliJ account to install the IDE and use it for free by authenticating with your GitHub account.

Step 1: Go to the GitHub Education page for the Student Developer Pack, ensure that you are signed in, and then click on the second link on that page which is "Valuable GitHub Student Developer Pack partner offers".

Step 2. After clicking on the link it will take you to the Student Developer Pack and come down to the "ALL offers" section and you will find "JetBrains". Click on "Get access by connecting your GitHub account on JetBrains".

Step 3: It will take you to the JetBrains page and then click on "Apply Now"

Step 4: It will take you to the next page where you need to choose "Apply with GitHub" and then click on "Authorize with GitHub".

Step 5: It will take you to the next page where you need to fill out some details such as country and level of study. Uncheck the box if you are older than 13 years. Then click on apply for free products then check box terms and conditions.

Step 6: JetBrains will request you to create an account by providing your email address and password. Afterwards, it will display all the products that you are entitled to. So here are the products that you will be accessing for free!

Step 7: The main focus of this article is on how to use IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate. To get started, click on IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate and then download the version that is compatible with your operating system, whether it's Windows or Mac. Since I'm using Windows 11, I will click on the ".exe (Windows)" download option. Once the download is complete, follow the on-screen wizard setup to install the program.

Step 8: Check all the boxes or select all the options from "Create Associations" based on your interest. I have chosen only Java and Gradle, but you can still add more later if needed.

Step 9: Authenticate your IDE by clicking on the "Authenticate" option in the IDE. This will prompt you to log in to your JetBrains account, and then you'll be ready to proceed!

Here is how you explore IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate by clicking on the icon

I have been working with Java SE 17 and have run some sample HTML code. Unlike VScode, IntelliJ does not require additional extensions like "Live Server" - you can simply create a folder and start working on it.

Sample HTML code demo

To see the output, simply click on the green triangle button at the top.

So we have reached the end of our article. Now you can use the powerful IntelliJ Ultimate IDE for free! Keep exploring the tools.

Thank you! Happy Coding:)

DEV Community: Chirayu V Gangadkar

Unlocking the Power of IntelliJ IDEA Ultimate with the GitHub Student Developer Pack