Setting up your web development environment in 2026

A predictable environment is a kindness to your future self. This guide installs the four things every web course assumes — editor, terminal, Git, Node.js — in an order that avoids the classic errors, with checks after each step so you know it worked.

Step 1: The editor

Install Visual Studio Code — the default in nearly every course and tutorial you will follow. After installing, add exactly two extensions to start: Prettier (formatting) and ESLint (error highlighting). Resist installing twenty extensions on day one; each one is a thing that can misbehave later.

Step 2: A real terminal

On Windows, use PowerShell or Windows Terminal; on macOS and Linux the stock terminal is fine. Verify it can run your package manager — this is the moment configuration problems usually start, so check explicitly:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew --version

# Windows (winget)
winget --version

# Linux (apt)
apt --version

Step 3: Git

Install Git from git-scm.com, then set your name and email — they are stamped into every commit you will ever make:

git --version
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Step 4: Node.js (the LTS way)

Install the LTS version of Node.js — never the "current" label — then verify both binaries. The version of npm that ships with your Node install is the one your course expects:

node --version   # expect v22.x or newer LTS
npm --version