Essential tools installation

Getting started with coding is exciting, but it's easy to get lost in setting up your tools. We have all been there, spending hours tweaking settings instead of actually learning. This topic is different. It focuses on the absolute minimum you need to get going, a starter pack for coding. It will help you install only the essential tools and get them working so you can focus on what matters: building your skills

This topic will walk you through each part of this setup. It starts with the command line, which is how you can give your computer direct text commands. It also covers how to pick a code editor, the program where you will write your code. To make that code actually do something, you will need to install a "runtime environment". A runtime is simply the software that knows how to read and execute your code. This guide will focus on two of the most popular and useful runtimes: Python and Node.js. You will also learn how to see your work in a web browser, save your progress, and take a quick look at optional AI tools that can help you learn.

Core Tools for Development

When you're starting out, it's easy to think you need to learn dozens of complex tools. The reality is that a small handful of tools do most of the heavy lifting. This is the 80/20 rule in action: you can get about 80% of the way there by mastering just 20% of the basics. The goal of this topic is to help you set up that essential 20% so you can stop wrestling with your setup and start building things.

Let's begin with the first and most fundamental tool you'll use.

The Terminal: Your Direct Line to the System

Think about how you normally use your computer: you click on icons, open windows, and drag files around. The terminal (also called the command line) is just a different way to do all of that, using text commands instead of a mouse. As a developer, you will use it for everything from installing software to running your code. It's powerful, efficient, and a standard part of every developer's toolkit.

The good news is, you already have one. Here’s how to find it:

• On Windows: Look for CMD(command prompt) or PowerShell in your Start Menu.

• On macOS: The app is simply called Terminal. You can find it in your Applications > Utilities folder, or just search for it using Spotlight (Cmd + Space).

• On Linux: This can vary, but common terminal apps are called GNOME Terminal, Konsole, or Xfce Terminal, depending on your desktop environment.

Let's try a couple of commands. Open your terminal now. You'll see a blinking cursor waiting for a command.

Find out where you are. Type the following command and press Enter:

• On macOS or Linux: pwd (which stands for "print working directory")

• On Windows: cd (with nothing after it)
  This will show you the path to your current folder, which is usually your home directory. This is the text-based equivalent of looking at the top of a file explorer window.

See what's in the folder. Now, let's list all the files and folders in your current location.

• On macOS or Linux: ls

• On Windows: dir
  You should see a list of familiar folders like Documents, Desktop, and Downloads.

For now, that's all you need to know. You've opened the terminal, confirmed where you are, and listed the files there. We will use it in the next step to install the software that will actually run your code.

The "Engines" That Run Your Code: Python and Node.js

The code you will write is just plain text. By itself, it doesn't do anything. You need a program that can read your code and follow its instructions. These programs are often called "runtime environments," but it's easier to think of them as the "engine" for your code.

We'll install two of the most popular and versatile engines: Node.js and Python. You don't need to master them right now, just get them installed and see how they work.

Node.js

JavaScript is the language that brings websites to life inside a web browser. Node.js is a tool that lets you run that same JavaScript code anywhere, not just in a browser. This is incredibly useful, and many modern development tools are built with it.

1. Go to the website: Open your browser and go to nodejs.org.

2. Download the installer: You will see two versions. It's best to download the one marked LTS (which stands for Long-Term Support). This is the most stable and reliable version.

3. Run the installer: Open the file you just downloaded and follow the on-screen instructions. You can safely accept all the default settings.

4. Check that it worked: Open your terminal and type the following command, then press Enter:
   node -v
   If you see a version number (like v20.11.1), it worked.

Node.js comes with a tool called npm (Node Package Manager). Think of it as an app store for code. Let's use it to install a simple tool.We'll install a handy utility called http-server, which can turn any folder on your computer into a simple website.

1. Install it: In your terminal, type this command and press Enter:
   npm install -g http-server
   (The -g part tells npm to install this tool "globally," so you can use it from anywhere on your computer).

2. Test it: Create an empty folder somewhere, maybe on your Desktop. In your terminal, navigate into that folder. For example, if you made a folder called Test on your Desktop, you would type: cd Desktop/Test.

3. Run it: Once you are "inside" that folder in your terminal, just type:
   http-server
   Your terminal will show you a web address, probably http://127.0.0.1:8080. If you copy that into your web browser, you'll see a simple webpage showing the contents of your folder (which is empty for now). To stop the server, go back to your terminal and press Ctrl+C.

Python

Python is another hugely popular language, famous for being easy to read and versatile. It's used for building websites, working with data, and much more.

1. Go to the website: Open your browser and go to python.org.

2. Download Python: Find the "Downloads" section and get the latest version.

3. Run the installer: Open the downloaded file.

   You will likely see a checkbox that says "Add Python to PATH." Make sure you check this box. It makes life much easier.

4. Check that it worked: Open a new terminal window and type python --version (orpython3 --version) and press Enter. Seeing a version number means you're all set.

Python also comes with its own package manager called pip. Before we use it, we should learn one very important best practice: virtual environments.

Virtual Environment

Think of a virtual environment as a clean, isolated sandbox for each of your projects. This way, the tools you install for one project won't mess up your other projects. It's a great habit to start now.

1. Create a project folder:In your terminal, navigate to where you want to store your projects (like your Desktop or Documents folder). Then, create a new folder using the mkdir command (which means "make directory"). Let's call it py-project.
   mkdir py-project
   Now, move into that new directory:
   cd py-project

2. Create the virtual environment: Navigate into your new project folder with your terminal. Once inside, run this command:
   python -m venv myenv
   (This tells Python to create a virtual environment and call it myenv. You'll see a new myenv folder appear inside py-project.)

3. Activate the environment: You have to "turn on" the sandbox before you use it.

   • On Windows: myenv\Scripts\activate

   • On macOS/Linux: source myenv/bin/activate
     You'll know it worked because your terminal prompt will change to show (myenv) at the beginning.

4. Install a package: Now that your environment is active, let's install requests, a popular library for fetching things from the internet.
   pip install requests

   

5. Verify the installation: Now for the fun part. We'll quickly use the package to prove it works. Don't worry about the syntax here; just follow the steps. The goal is to see that the library you installed can be used.

   • First, start the Python interactive interpreter by typing python in your terminal and pressing Enter. You'll see a >>> prompt.

   • At the prompt, import the library: import requests

   • Now, use it to fetch some sample data from a free online testing service.
     response = requests.get('https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com/todos/1')

   • Finally, print the data you received: print(response.json())
     If your terminal prints out something like {'userId': 1, 'id': 1, 'title': 'delectus aut autem', 'completed': False}, it worked perfectly! You have now fetched the content of the sample website using your installed package.

   • To exit the Python interpreter, type exit() and press Enter.
     

6. Deactivate when you're done: To exit the virtual environment, simply type:
   deactivate
   Your terminal prompt will go back to normal.

That's it! You've successfully installed Node.js and Python, and you've already used their package managers to install your first tools. In the next step, we'll set up the "workshop" where you'll actually write the code.

Code Editors

When it comes to writing your actual code, you'll need a program designed for this task. While you could use a very simple text editor, dedicated code editors or Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are built specifically for programming. They offer helpful features like syntax highlighting (which colors different parts of your code to make it easier to read), smart suggestions as you type, and ways to organize all the files in your projects.

There are several excellent tools available. JetBrains produces a well-regarded suite of IDEs, and they provide free "Community Editions" for some of their most popular ones. For instance, if you're going to be working a lot with Python, PyCharm Community Edition is a strong choice. For more general development, or if you're working with languages like Java, IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition is very capable. While JetBrains also has a specialized IDE for JavaScript and Node.js called WebStorm, it's a paid product. However, IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition can also handle JavaScript and Node.js projects, often with the help of some available plugins.

Another extremely popular and versatile option is Visual Studio Code (VS Code). It's known for being lightweight yet powerful, with a vast library of extensions that let you customize it for almost any programming language or task, including excellent support for Python and Node.js.

Getting any of these installed generally follows these steps:

1. Visit the official website: For JetBrains tools like PyCharm or IntelliJ IDEA, go to jetbrains.com. For Visual Studio Code, head to code.visualstudio.com.

2. Download the installer: Look for the download section and choose the installer that matches your computer's operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

3. Run the installation program: Once downloaded, open the installer file and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

4. (Optional) Add plugins: After the main installation, especially with editors like VS Code or IntelliJ IDEA, you might want to browse and install specific plugins or extensions from within the editor itself to add better support for particular languages (like Python or JavaScript) or other tools you plan to use.

For both the terminal commands we mentioned earlier and the features of your chosen code editor, don't feel like you need to learn everything at once. The main thing for now is to get a basic, comfortable setup. You'll pick up more commands and editor shortcuts naturally as you start working on projects. The focus here is on getting a minimal environment ready, which you can always adjust and build upon later.

Web Browsers

So far, when we've run our code, the result has appeared in the terminal. That's great for many tasks, but if you're building a website or a web application, you need to see what it actually looks like. For that, your display is the web browser. Common choices include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari (available on macOS).
Every modern browser comes with a built-in suite of tools designed specifically for developers. They let you look "under the hood" of any website, including your own. Learning how to open and use them is one of the most important skills for web development.

How to open them:

• The universal shortcut: On nearly any website, press the F12 key.

• The right-click method: Right-click anywhere on a webpage and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element".
  

  Open any website of your choice and press F12 to open the developer tools. Now click on the "Elements" or "Inspector" tab. You'll see the HTML code for the site you are visiting. HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is the language used to structure and display content in a web browser. As you hover your mouse over the lines of HTML in the developer tools, you'll see the corresponding parts of the webpage get highlighted. This is incredibly useful for figuring out why the page looks the way it does.

Version Control with Git

As you start writing more code, you'll soon face the classic problem of saving endless copies of your project: my-app-v1, my-app-v2, my-app-final-I-swear. This quickly becomes a mess and creates a fear of changing things in case you break what's already working. This is the exact problem that Git solves. Think of Git as a time machine for your code. It's a tool that lets you take "snapshots," called commits, of your entire project at any point. This allows you to experiment with total confidence. Once you have a working version, you can save a snapshot. If your next idea doesn't work out, you can instantly rewind your entire project back to that last good snapshot without any stress.

Beyond just being a local safety net, Git works hand-in-hand with websites like GitHub and GitLab. You can think of these services as an online backup for your code projects. By "pushing" your saved snapshots to a site like GitHub, your work is kept safe even if something happens to your computer. This is also the standard way developers share their work and collaborate on projects. You don't need to be a Git master right away. To begin, simply download and install Git from the official git-scm.com website and create a free account on github.com. Having this setup is the perfect foundation for good coding habits.

Helpful AI Tools

As you begin your coding journey, you'll hear a lot about a new category of AI-powered tools that can help you write code. Think of these as a smart assistant that works right alongside you. Some work as extensions inside your editor, like GitHub Copilot or Tabnine (which offers a free version), suggesting how to finish a line of code as you're typing it. Others, like Cursor, are complete code editors built from the ground up around these AI capabilities, allowing you to ask questions and edit code in a more conversational way. For a beginner, the most important thing is to use them as a learning aid, not a crutch. If an AI tool gives you an answer, your goal should be to understand why that code works, not just to copy and paste it. These tools are entirely optional, and they are no replacement for understanding the fundamentals we've covered. However, they can be a great way to get unstuck or learn new concepts once you have the basics down.

Conclusion

And just like that, you have a complete developer's toolkit. Getting through this setup is a huge first step and often one of the biggest hurdles. Remember the main idea: the goal was never to master the tools, but to build a reliable launchpad so you can move on to the fun part. The real adventure begins now. With this solid foundation in place, you can stop worrying about your setup and start focusing on what truly matters: learning to code, building projects, and bringing your ideas to life.