Setting up your computer for Node JS Development — for Mac, Windows and Linux
Outline
- Introduction
- What is NodeJS
- Tools needed to get started
- Installing a Browser
- Installing Node and NPM
- Installing a Code Editor
Introduction
In this article, I will be sharing a step-by-step guide on setting up your computer to begin software development using NodeJS language. Whether you are using a Windows, Mac or Linux computer, this article contains relevant links and breakdowns on how to get started easily and quickly.
What is NodeJS
NodeJS (or simply Node) is a cross-platform environment that runs and executes JavaScript codes outside the browser. It’s a version of Chrome’s V8 JavaScript runtime engine, allowing you to develop server-side JavaScript applications. It comes up with everything which is required to run a program written in JavaScript.
Tools Need To Get Started
You will be needing a
- Web browser
- A Code Editor
- Postman (an application for running APIs)
- Node and NPM environments
Installing a Web Browser
A web browser allows you to access web pages and websites on the internet.
I believe you are using a web browser to read this article. Examples of browsers you can use are below. You can use either of these web browsers.
- Chrome (recommended) — for Mac, Windows and Linux
- Mozilla Firefox — for Mac, Windows and Linux users
- Safari — for Mac users only
By clicking any of the links above, you will be able to download the browser from any computer platform you are using.
Installing Node and NPM
Let’s install the Node.js runtime environment
Go to: https://nodejs.org/en/download/
The above link allows you to download Node.js for Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems. Download the right one for your system.
Installing a Code Editor
Code Editors are applications that allow you to write your code. They help with automatically formatting your code for readability. Most code editors use different colours for the codes you write so you can easily differentiate between constants, functions and variables.
The preferred Code Editor is VSCode (Visual Studio Code) and can be downloaded using this link:
https://code.visualstudio.com/download
As the convention in this article, the link above allows you to download and install Visual Studio Code on Windows, Linux and MacOS.
Installing Postman
Postman is an API platform for building and using APIs. Postman simplifies each step of the API lifecycle and streamlines collaboration so you can create better APIs — faster.
When you build APIs using NodeJS, you will need an application like Postman to test, document and share your endpoints.
If you don’t understand what API is and how it works, I will explain it in subsequent publications and training.
However, simply put, API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of programming codes that enables data transmission between one software product and another.
API is why Uber and Lyft can have Google Map functionalities in their apps without building their own Map features. It works by Uber, Lyft and other similar apps connecting to Google Maps API to share and integrate the map functionalities.
And that’s a wrap on this article. If this article is beneficial to you, feel free to clap and share with others.
