[Node.js, Npm and VS Code] Development Environment Setup

Hello HaWkers! Jeff Bruchado here.

This is the second article in our series that will cover our journey to Learn Programming from Scratch.

And I need to be honest with you, I'm very excited that you've started your journey.

First of all, no beating around the bush, I need to inform you that this content might be the most boring of those you'll receive from me, because it's a setup phase more focused on preparing your development environment.

And yet I need to emphasize that it is of utmost importance that you have your environment prepared to get your hands dirty in the upcoming content.

So you don't get stuck on some incorrect configuration or something like that.

And here's a crucial tip for you who wants to become a real Developer and be able to build your tools from scratch:

Whenever you learn some theoretical content, please! Always put it into practice, Programming is basically all practice, if you don't put the theories you learned into Practice, you'll never be a Developer.

Sorry to be harsh, but this is the truth you need to hear right now, when your journey is just beginning.

So always remember, learned something new? Even if it's something extremely basic**, open your editor and write some lines of code that you created with your own thoughts, without copying.

Only then will you solidify the knowledge learned. As it should be! 🦅

Alright! Having shared this crucial tip for you to become a true developer, let's get to what matters.

When we start our journey in development, one of the first and most crucial steps is the development environment setup.

Proper configuration allows us to work efficiently and without interruptions. In this article, we'll learn to install and configure the essential tools for a modern development environment.

Node.js and Npm Installation:

Windows

Go to the official Node.js website.
Choose the LTS (Long Term Support) version and download it.
Run the downloaded installer and follow the instructions, which will include installing Node.js and Npm.
After installation, open the terminal and verify the installations with the commands node -v and npm -v.

Linux/Mac

In the terminal, for Debian-based distributions (like Ubuntu), use the commands:
```
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nodejs npm
```
For Mac, using Homebrew:
```
brew update
brew install node
```
Verify the installations with the commands node -v and npm -v.

Text Editor: Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a lightweight yet powerful code editor that supports a variety of programming languages and has a wide range of extensions available.

Installing Visual Studio Code on Windows

Go to the official VS Code website.
Click the download button for Windows and wait for the file to download.
Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions. I recommend checking the options "Add to PATH" and "Create a desktop icon" for easier access.
After installation, open VSCode from the Start menu or the desktop icon.

Installing Visual Studio Code on Mac

Go to the official VS Code website.
Click the download button for macOS.
After downloading, open the downloaded .zip file and drag the VS Code application to your Applications folder.
You can open VSCode from the Applications folder or pin it to the Dock for quick access.

Installing Visual Studio Code on Linux

Go to the official VS Code website.
Select the appropriate package for your distribution (.deb for Debian/Ubuntu or .rpm for Fedora).
In the terminal, navigate to the folder where the package was downloaded.

For Debian-based distributions:

sudo dpkg -i package_name.deb

For Fedora-based distributions:

sudo dnf install package_name.rpm

VS Code will be available in the applications menu.

Conclusion

Well HaWker, as you can see, this is a slightly shorter article, but extremely important.

Having a well-configured development environment is fundamental for an efficient workflow.

With Node.js, Npm, and VSCode installed, you're ready to start taking your first steps.

And remember, I'm here to help you every step of the way!

Awesome HaWker! 😮‍💨

We've reached the end of our second article.

And if you made it this far, please reply to this email with "I managed to configure my environment!". So I know if this article series is being useful.

If you have any questions, please! Send your question by replying to this email, it will be a great pleasure to help you.

Only a true HaWker makes it to the end.

Congratulations!

I'm happy to have you here.

See you soon, let's go! 🦅

- Jeff Bruchado

Congratulations on making it this far, HaWker! 🎉

Now that you've learned how to configure the development environment with Node.js, Npm, and VS Code, how about testing your knowledge? Take the quiz below and see how much you absorbed from our article.

It's a great way to reinforce learning and prepare for the next steps in your programming journey.

Click to access the quiz.

Good luck and have fun!