Install Software

The Big Idea

Before Sprint 1 starts, you need to set up your computer with the tools you'll use every day: a terminal, a code editor, Git, and Node. This page shows you how to do that using your chatbot as a guide — so you get help at every step, not just a wall of commands.

What you are installing and why

Tool	What it is	Why you need it
Terminal / ZSH	A text-based way to talk to your computer	Everything at Dev Academy runs from the terminal
VS Code	A code editor	Where you will write all your code
Git	Version control software	Saves your work and lets you collaborate
Node / NVM	A JavaScript runtime	Required for running code and course projects
SSH key	A secure connection to GitHub	Lets your computer talk to GitHub without a password

How to set up your computer

We recommend using your chatbot to guide you through the setup — it will explain what each step does and help you if something goes wrong. This is your first real use of AI as a tool.

If you prefer to work through the instructions directly without a chatbot, that works too. Open your OS file below and follow the steps on your own. The #computer-setup Discord channel is there if you get stuck.

Step 1 — Open your chatbot

Open Claude or Gemini. If you haven't created an account yet, go back to Set Up Accounts.

Step 2 — Find your setup instructions

Open the correct file for your operating system:

Operating System	Setup file
Mac	macos-setup.md
Windows	windows-10-setup.md
Linux / Ubuntu	ubuntu-setup.md

Step 3 — Copy everything

On the GitHub page, click the Copy raw file button (top right of the file). This copies the entire setup guide. You will need to be logged in to your GitHub account to access it.

Step 4 — Paste it into your chatbot with this prompt

I'm a beginner learning to code. I need to set up my computer for a coding bootcamp.

Here are my setup instructions:

[paste the file contents here]

Please guide me through this step by step. For each step:
- Explain what I'm installing and why in plain language
- Tell me exactly what to do
- Wait for me to confirm it worked before moving to the next step

I'm on [Mac / Windows / Linux]. Let me know if you need any other information about my setup.

Step 5 — Follow the chatbot's guidance

Work through each step with the chatbot. When you run a command and see output, paste it back into the chat so the chatbot can confirm it worked.

If you get stuck

The chatbot gives you an error you can't resolve: Paste the exact error message into the chat and ask: "What does this mean and what should I try?"

The chatbot isn't helping: Post in the #computer-setup channel on Discord. Include:

Which step you're on (e.g. "Step 4.1 on Mac")
What you ran
What happened (paste the error)

You want to book help with a facilitator: Post in #computer-setup on Discord to book a time.

How to know you're done

You're set up when you can:

Open a terminal and run git --version without an error
Open a terminal and run node --version without an error
Type code . in your terminal and VS Code opens
Push a file to GitHub using SSH (the setup guide walks you through this)

If all four work — you're ready for Sprint 1.

Set Up Accounts

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