environment-setup-guide

# Environment Setup Guide ## Overview Help developers set up complete development environments from scratch. This skill provides step-by-step guidance for installing tools, configuring dependencies, setting up environment variables, and verifying the setup works correctly. ## When to Use This Skill - Use when starting a new project and need to set up the development environment - Use when onboarding new team members to a project - Use when switching to a new machine or operating system - Use when troubleshooting environment-related issues - Use when documenting setup instructions for a project - Use when creating development environment documentation ## How It Works ### Step 1: Identify Requirements I'll help you determine what needs to be installed: - Programming language and version (Node.js, Python, Go, etc.) - Package managers (npm, pip, cargo, etc.) - Database systems (PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, etc.) - Development tools (Git, Docker, IDE extensions, etc.) - Environment variables and configuration files ### Step 2: Check Current Setup Before installing anything, I'll help you check what's already installed: ```bash # Check versions of installed tools node --version python --version git --version docker --version ``` ### Step 3: Provide Installation Instructions I'll give platform-specific installation commands: - **macOS:** Using Homebrew - **Linux:** Using apt, yum, or package manager - **Windows:** Using Chocolatey, Scoop, or direct installers ### Step 4: Configure the Environment Help set up: - Environment variables (.env files) - Configuration files (.gitconfig, .npmrc, etc.) - IDE settings (VS Code, IntelliJ, etc.) - Shell configuration (.bashrc, .zshrc, etc.) ### Step 5: Verify Installation Provide verification steps to ensure everything works: - Run version checks - Test basic commands - Verify database connections - Check environment variables are loaded ## Examples ### Example 1: Node.js Project Setup ```markdown ## Setting Up Node.js Development Environment ### Prerequisites - macOS, Linux, or Windows - Terminal/Command Prompt access - Internet connection ### Step 1: Install Node.js **macOS (using Homebrew):** \`\`\`bash # Install Homebrew if not installed /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" # Install Node.js brew install node \`\`\` **Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):** \`\`\`bash # Update package list sudo apt update # Install Node.js and npm curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash - sudo apt install -y nodejs \`\`\` **Windows (using Chocolatey):** \`\`\`powershell # Install Chocolatey if not installed Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1')) # Install Node.js choco install nodejs \`\`\` ### Step 2: Verify Installation \`\`\`bash node --version # Should show v20.x.x or higher npm --version # Should show 10.x.x or higher \`\`\` ### Step 3: Install Project Dependencies \`\`\`bash # Clone the repository git clone https://github.com/your-repo/project.git cd project # Install dependencies npm install \`\`\` ### Step 4: Set Up Environment Variables Create a \`.env\` file: \`\`\`bash # Copy example environment file cp .env.example .env # Edit with your values nano .env \`\`\` Example \`.env\` content: \`\`\` NODE_ENV=development PORT=3000 DATABASE_URL=postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb API_KEY=your-api-key-here \`\`\` ### Step 5: Run the Project \`\`\`bash # Start development server npm run dev # Should see: Server running on http://localhost:3000 \`\`\` ### Troubleshooting **Problem:** "node: command not found" **Solution:** Restart your terminal or run \`source ~/.bashrc\` (Linux) or \`source ~/.zshrc\` (macOS) **Problem:** "Permission denied" errors **Solution:** Don't use sudo with npm. Fix permissions: \`\`\`bash mkdir ~/.npm-global npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global' echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc \`\`\` ``` ### Example 2: Python Project Setup ```markdown ## Setting Up Python Development Environment ### Step 1: Install Python **macOS:** \`\`\`bash brew install python@3.11 \`\`\` **Linux:** \`\`\`bash sudo apt update sudo apt install python3.11 python3.11-venv python3-pip \`\`\` **Windows:** \`\`\`powershell choco install python --version=3.11 \`\`\` ### Step 2: Verify Installation \`\`\`bash python3 --version # Should show Python 3.11.x pip3 --version # Should show pip 23.x.x \`\`\` ### Step 3: Create Virtual Environment \`\`\`bash # Navigate to project directory cd my-project # Create virtual environment python3 -m venv venv # Activate virtual environment # macOS/Linux: source venv/bin/activate # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate \`\`\` ### Step 4: Install Dependencies \`\`\`bash # Install from requirements.txt pip install -r requirements.txt # Or install packages individually pip install flask sqlalchemy python-dotenv \`\`\` ### Step 5: Set Up Environment Variables Create \`.env\` file: \`\`\` FLASK_APP=app.py FLASK_ENV=development DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///app.db SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here \`\`\` ### Step 6: Run the Application \`\`\`bash # Run Flask app flask run # Should see: Running on http://127.0.0.1:5000 \`\`\` ``` ### Example 3: Docker Development Environment ```markdown ## Setting Up Docker Development Environment ### Step 1: Install Docker **macOS:** \`\`\`bash brew install --cask docker # Or download Docker Desktop from docker.com \`\`\` **Linux:** \`\`\`bash # Install Docker curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh sudo sh get-docker.sh # Add user to docker group sudo usermod -aG docker $USER newgrp docker \`\`\` **Windows:** Download Docker Desktop from docker.com ### Step 2: Verify Installation \`\`\`bash docker --version # Should show Docker version 24.x.x docker-compose --version # Should show Docker Compose version 2.x.x \`\`\` ### Step 3: Create docker-compose.yml \`\`\`yaml version: '3.8' services: app: build: . ports: - "3000:3000" environment: - NODE_ENV=development - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:password@db:5432/mydb volumes: - .:/app - /app/node_modules depends_on: - db db: image: postgres:15 environment: - POSTGRES_USER=postgres - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password - POSTGRES_DB=mydb ports: - "5432:5432" volumes: - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data volumes: postgres_data: \`\`\` ### Step 4: Start Services \`\`\`bash # Build and start containers docker-compose up -d # View logs docker-compose logs -f # Stop services docker-compose down \`\`\` ### Step 5: Verify Services \`\`\`bash # Check running containers docker ps # Test database connection docker-compose exec db psql -U postgres -d mydb \`\`\` ``` ## Best Practices ### ✅ Do This - **Document Everything** - Write clear setup instructions - **Use Version Managers** - nvm for Node, pyenv for Python - **Create .env.example** - Show required environment variables - **Test on Clean System** - Verify instructions work from scratch - **Include Troubleshooting** - Document common issues and solutions - **Use Docker** - For consistent environments across machines - **Pin Versions** - Specify exact versions in package files - **Automate Setup** - Create setup scripts when possible - **Check Prerequisites** - List required tools before starting - **Provide Verification Steps** - Help users confirm setup works ### ❌ Don't Do This - **Don't Assume Tools Installed** - Always check and provide install instructions - **Don't Skip Environment Variables** - Document all required variables - **Don't Use Sudo with npm** - Fix permissions instead - **Don't Forget Platform Differences** - Provide OS-specific instructions - **Don't Leave Out Verification** - Always include test steps - **Don't Use Global Installs** - Prefer local/virtual environments - **Don't Ignore Errors** - Document how to handle common errors - **Don't Skip Database Setup** - Include database initialization steps ## Common Pitfalls ### Problem: "Command not found" after installation **Symptoms:** Installed tool but terminal doesn't recognize it **Solution:** - Restart terminal or source shell config - Check PATH environment variable - Verify installation location ```bash # Check PATH echo $PATH # Add to PATH (example) export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH" ``` ### Problem: Permission errors with npm/pip **Symptoms:** "EACCES" or "Permission denied" errors **Solution:** - Don't use sudo - Fix npm permissions or use nvm - Use virtual environments for Python ```bash # Fix npm permissions mkdir ~/.npm-global npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global' echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc ``` ### Problem: Port already in use **Symptoms:** "Port 3000 is already in use" **Solution:** - Find and kill process using the port - Use a different port ```bash # Find process on port 3000 lsof -i :3000 # Kill process kill -9 <PID> # Or use different port PORT=3001 npm start ``` ### Problem: Database connection fails **Symptoms:** "Connection refused" or "Authentication failed" **Solution:** - Verify database is running - Check connection string - Verify credentials ```bash # Check if PostgreSQL is running sudo systemctl status postgresql # Test connection psql -h localhost -U postgres -d mydb ``` ## Setup Script Template Create a `setup.sh` script to automate setup: ```bash #!/bin/bash echo "🚀 Setting up development environment..." # Check prerequisites command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "❌ Node.js not installed"; exit 1; } command -v git >/dev/null 2>&1 || { echo "❌ Git not installed"; exit 1; } echo "✅ Prerequisites check passed" # Install dependencies echo "📦 Installing dependencies..." npm install # Copy environment file if [ ! -f .env ]; then echo "📝 Creating .env file..." cp .env.example .env echo "⚠️ Please edit .env with your configuration" fi # Run database migrations echo "🗄️ Running database migrations..." npm run migrate # Verify setup echo "🔍 Verifying setup..." npm run test:setup echo "✅ Setup complete! Run 'npm run dev' to start" ``` ## Related Skills - `@brainstorming` - Plan environment requirements before setup - `@systematic-debugging` - Debug environment issues - `@doc-coauthoring` - Create setup documentation - `@git-pushing` - Set up Git configuration ## Additional Resources - [Node.js Installation Guide](https://nodejs.org/en/download/) - [Python Virtual Environments](https://docs.python.org/3/tutorial/venv.html) - [Docker Documentation](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/) - [Homebrew (macOS)](https://brew.sh/) - [Chocolatey (Windows)](https://chocolatey.org/) - [nvm (Node Version Manager)](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) - [pyenv (Python Version Manager)](https://github.com/pyenv/pyenv) --- **Pro Tip:** Create a `setup.sh` or `setup.ps1` script to automate the entire setup process. Test it on a clean system to ensure it works! ---