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Prerequisites & Tools Installation

Before we begin development, let's ensure you have all the necessary tools installed and properly configured. This guide covers installation for all major operating systems.

Tool Installation Overview​

We'll install and configure these essential development tools:

  • Git: Version control system for managing code changes
  • Node.js & npm: JavaScript runtime and package manager
  • Wrangler CLI: Cloudflare's command-line tool for deployment

Opening Your Terminal​

Before we begin installing tools, you'll need to know how to open a terminal (command line interface) on your operating system. All the commands in this guide will be executed in the terminal.

Method 1: Spotlight Search

  • Press Cmd + Space to open Spotlight
  • Type "Terminal" and press Enter

Method 2: Finder

  • Open Finder
  • Navigate to Applications → Utilities → Terminal

Method 3: Launchpad

  • Press F4 or click Launchpad in the Dock
  • Search for "Terminal" or look in the "Other" folder

terminal sportlight

Terminal vs Command Prompt vs PowerShell:

  • macOS/Linux: "Terminal" is the standard command-line interface
  • Windows:
    • Command Prompt (cmd) - Basic, limited functionality
    • PowerShell - More powerful, recommended for development
    • Git Bash - Unix-like environment (installed with Git)
    • WSL - Full Linux environment within Windows

1. Git Installation & Verification​

What is Git? Git is a version control system that tracks changes in your code and allows collaboration with other developers.

Check if Git is Already Installed​

terminal
git --version

Expected output: git version 2.x.x (any version 2.0 or higher is fine)

Git version command

terminal
 # Using Homebrew (recommended)
 brew install git

 # Or download from: https://git-scm.com/download/mac

brew_install

Configure Git (First-time setup)​

After installation, configure Git with your information:

terminal
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

configure_git

2. Node.js Installation​

What is Node.js? Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that allows you to run JavaScript code outside of a web browser. We need it to run our development tools.

Check Current Installation​

terminal
node --version

Required version: v18 or higher (v18.x.x, v20.x.x, etc.)

node_version

Install Node.js​

For All Platforms:

  1. Visit nodejs.org
  2. Download the LTS (Long Term Support) version
  3. Run the installer with default settings
  4. Restart your terminal/command prompt
  5. Verify installation: node --version

nodejs_lts

Verify npm Installation​

npm (Node Package Manager) is installed automatically with Node.js:

terminal
npm --version

Expected output: Version 9.x.x or higher

node_version

3. Wrangler CLI Installation​

What is Wrangler? Wrangler is Cloudflare's command-line tool that helps us deploy and manage serverless applications.

Install Wrangler Globally​

terminal
npm install -g wrangler@latest

wrangler_cli_installation

Verify Installation​

terminal
wrangler --version

Expected output: Something like 3.x.x or higher

wrangler_version

Troubleshooting Wrangler Installation​

Permission Errors:

  • macOS/Linux: Try sudo npm install -g wrangler@latest
  • Windows: Run Command Prompt as Administrator

Wrangler_installation_sudo

Installation Failures:

  • Ensure Node.js is properly installed first
  • Try clearing npm cache: npm cache clean --force
  • Restart terminal and try again

4. Platform-Specific Setup​

Windows Users (Important)​

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) - Strongly Recommended

For the best development experience on Windows, we recommend installing WSL:

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
  2. Run: wsl --install
  3. Restart your computer
  4. Follow the Ubuntu setup process
  5. Install all tools within the WSL environment

wsl_installation

Alternative for Windows: If you prefer not to use WSL, ensure you're using:

  • Git Bash or PowerShell (not Command Prompt)
  • Windows Terminal for better command-line experience

macOS Users​

Install Homebrew (Package Manager)

Homebrew makes installing development tools easier:

terminal
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

install_homebrew

Then you can install tools using:

terminal
brew install git
brew install node

Linux Users​

Most Linux distributions come with package managers that make installation straightforward:

Ubuntu/Debian:

terminal
sudo apt update
sudo apt install git nodejs npm

apt install git

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora:

terminal
sudo dnf install git nodejs npm

5. Final Verification​

Run this comprehensive verification to ensure everything is working:

terminal
# Check Git
git --version
echo "Git user: $(git config --global user.name)"
echo "Git email: $(git config --global user.email)"

# Check Node.js and npm
node --version
npm --version

# Check Wrangler
wrangler --version

Expected Output Example​

git version 2.42.0
Git user: Your Name
Git email: your.email@example.com
v20.9.0
10.1.0
3.15.0

final_verification

Visual Studio Code​

Install VS Code:

sdk

Recommended Extensions:

  • ES7+ React/Redux/React-Native snippets: For React development
  • Tailwind CSS IntelliSense: For CSS autocompletion
  • TypeScript and JavaScript Language Features: Enhanced TypeScript support
  • Git Lens: Enhanced Git integration
  • Prettier: Code formatting

recommended_extension

Alternative Editors​

Zed (Modern, Fast):

  • Download from zed.dev
  • Great performance for large projects

zed

WebStorm (Full-featured):

  • Professional IDE from JetBrains
  • Includes all necessary tools built-in

webstrom

Validation Checklist​

Before proceeding to the next section, verify:

  • Git installed and configured with your name/email
  • Node.js v18+ installed and working
  • npm working and can install packages
  • Wrangler CLI installed and responding to version command
  • Code editor installed and ready
  • All version commands return expected outputs

What's Next?​

Great job! Your development tools are now installed and configured.

Next Step: Account Setup - Create and configure your GitHub and Cloudflare accounts.

Need Help?​

If you encounter issues with any installations:

  1. Check the Troubleshooting Guide
  2. Ensure you're using the latest versions of installers
  3. Try restarting your terminal/computer after installations
  4. Ask workshop facilitators for assistance

Remember: Taking time to get the tools properly installed now will save you hours of debugging later! 🛠️