Setup Prerequisites

Preface

This tutorial runs you through the steps required to set up your development environment.

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goals

Version Control System

We strongly recommend using a version control system.

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We will use Git and GitHub in our examples.

Feel free to use other solutions than GitHub, e.g. GitLab, BitBucket, or even a self-hosted solution that supports Git.

• Linux
• MacOS
• Windows

Install the git package.

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In our examples, we will use the APT package manager and also assume that you are using a Debian based distribution.

Adjust the examples to your distribution and package manager accordingly.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install git

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

We also strongly recommend you install and use an IDE.

Visual Studio Code (VSCode)

VSCode is an open-source and free to use IDE developed by Microsoft and a community of developers.

WebStorm

WebStorm is an IDE developed by JetBrains.

You can also try the WebStorm Early Access Program and use WebStorm for free.

NetBeans

NetBeans is an open-source and free to use IDE developed by a community of developers under the hood of the Apache Software Foundation.

Eclipse

Eclipse is an open-source and free to use IDE developed by a community of developers under the hood of the Eclipse Foundation.

Node Version Manager (NVM)

We also recommend that you use a node version manager like nvm when working on Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, or MacOS.

For Microsoft Windows you can use nvm-windows instead.

• Linux
• MacOS
• Windows

Follow the official installation instructions to install nvm.

See also Troubleshooting Linux if you encounter any issues.

Node.js

Now is the perfect time to install Node.js.

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Using nvm makes this step very easy, and one can choose between installed versions at all times.

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We will install and use the latest long-term support release (lts).

• Linux
• MacOS
• Windows

nvm install lts
nvm use lts

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You can use the following commands to manage Node.js versions:

• nvm ls to see the installed versions.
• nvm ls-remote to see which versions are available for installation.
• nvm install <version-id> to install a specific version.
• nvm use <version-id> to use a specific version.

Node Package Manager

Upgrade NPM (optional)

Next, you might want to upgrade npm to its latest version.

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We are using npm@latest in our examples. You might want a different version instead.

npm install --global npm@latest

Yarn (optional)

By default, npm will be provided for package management and package dependency management.

If you prefer yarn, follow the below steps to install it globally.

tip

We are using yarn@latest in our examples. You might want a different version instead.

npm install --global yarn@latest

TypeScript (optional)

For some use cases, you might want to install TypeScript globally.

tip

We are using typescript@latest in our examples. You might want a different version instead.

• npm
• yarn

npm install --global typescript@latest

Summary

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achievements