How to Add a Library in Android Studio from GitHub

Using open-source libraries from GitHub can dramatically speed up your Android development. Whether it’s a UI component, networking tool, or utility library, GitHub hosts tons of projects ready to be integrated.

This guide will show you how to add a GitHub library to your Android Studio project quickly and correctly.

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🔍 Step 1: Find the Library on GitHub

1. Go to GitHub and search for the Android library you want.
2. Check the README for usage instructions.
3. Look for the Gradle dependency snippet — typically under “Installation” or “Setup”.

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🛠 Step 2: Add the Repository (If Needed)

Most libraries are published to Maven Central or JCenter, but some use custom repositories like JitPack.

• If the library is on Maven Central or Google’s Maven, you usually don’t need to add extra repositories.
• If the README mentions JitPack, you need to add JitPack’s repository.

Adding JitPack Repository

Open your project-level build.gradle (not the module one), and add:

allprojects {
    repositories {
        google()
        mavenCentral()
        maven { url 'https://jitpack.io' }
    }
}

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🧩 Step 3: Add the Dependency

Open your module-level build.gradle (usually app/build.gradle), then add the dependency line under dependencies:

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.github.User:Repo:Tag'
}

For example:

implementation 'com.github.bumptech.glide:glide:4.15.1'

Or, if using JitPack:

implementation 'com.github.User:Repo:Tag'

Replace User, Repo, and Tag with the correct values from GitHub/JitPack.

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🔄 Step 4: Sync Project

After adding the dependency, click Sync Now in Android Studio to download and integrate the library.

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✅ Bonus: Adding a Library Manually from GitHub Source

If the library is not published to any Maven repository:

1. Clone the GitHub repo locally.
2. Import the library module into your project:
   • File → New → Import Module
3. Add the imported module as a dependency in your app’s build.gradle:

implementation project(':library-module-name')

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🏁 Conclusion

Adding libraries from GitHub to Android Studio is straightforward once you know where to find the Gradle dependency info and how to configure your project repositories.

Using community libraries can save development time and add rich features, so make sure to check the license and documentation before integrating.