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Workstation Setup

Setting up an effective development workstation is the foundation of productive software development. This section provides comprehensive guides for configuring your development environment across different programming languages and technologies.

Overview​

A well-configured workstation accelerates development, reduces friction, and ensures consistency across team environments. Our setup guides focus on:

  • Quick Onboarding: Get productive quickly with essential tools and configurations
  • Best Practices: Industry-standard tooling and configurations
  • Team Consistency: Standardized environments that work across different machines
  • Performance: Optimized setups for fast builds and smooth development

Quick Start​

For most developers, we recommend starting with these core tools:

  1. Core Development Tools - Essential utilities every developer needs
  2. Language-Specific Setup - Choose your primary development language below
  3. IDE Configuration - Optimize your development environment
  • JavaScript/Node.js - For web development and full-stack applications
  • Python - For backend services, data science, and automation
  • Java - For enterprise applications and microservices
  • .NET - For Windows-first and cross-platform applications
  • Rust - For systems programming and high-performance applications

Setup Philosophy​

Our workstation setup guides follow these principles:

1. Version Management First​

Every language setup starts with a version manager (e.g., nvm, pyenv, rustup) to:

  • Switch between project versions easily
  • Avoid system-level conflicts
  • Ensure reproducible builds

2. Package Manager Configuration​

Properly configured package managers reduce installation friction:

  • Use registry mirrors for faster downloads
  • Configure authentication for private packages
  • Set up caching for offline development

3. IDE Integration​

Modern IDEs provide powerful development features:

  • Language servers for intelligent code completion
  • Integrated debugging and testing
  • Code formatting and linting integration
  • Git workflow integration

4. Development Environment Isolation​

Keep projects isolated to prevent conflicts:

  • Virtual environments for dependencies
  • Containerized development when appropriate
  • Clear project-specific configurations

Common Setup Patterns​

Multi-Language Development​

Many projects require multiple languages. Our guides help you:

  • Set up complementary toolchains (e.g., Node.js + Python)
  • Manage different runtime versions per project
  • Configure IDEs for polyglot development

Team Collaboration​

Consistent environments across your team:

  • Shared configuration files (.nvmrc, pyproject.toml)
  • Container-based development environments
  • Documentation of required tool versions

Performance Optimization​

Optimize your setup for speed:

  • SSD storage recommendations
  • Memory allocation for build tools
  • Parallel build configurations
  • Cache optimization strategies

Platform-Specific Considerations​

macOS​

  • Homebrew package management
  • Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2) compatibility notes

Windows​

  • Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL2) setup
  • PowerShell vs Command Prompt considerations
  • Windows Terminal configuration

Linux​

  • Distribution-specific package managers
  • Permissions and security considerations
  • Performance tuning for development

Troubleshooting Common Issues​

Before diving into specific language setups, familiarize yourself with common setup challenges:

  • Permission Issues: Avoiding sudo for package installations
  • Path Configuration: Ensuring tools are accessible from your shell
  • Version Conflicts: Resolving conflicting tool versions
  • Performance: Optimizing build times and resource usage

Next Steps​

  1. Choose your primary language from the guides below
  2. Set up core development tools for your platform
  3. Configure your IDE with recommended extensions and settings
  4. Test your setup with a sample project

Each language-specific guide includes verification steps to ensure your environment is working correctly.