Minimal Programming Kit
Tags: webdev, beginners
Published: 2021-05-11 09:55:35

---
title: Minimal Programming Kit
published: true
description: A short-list with tools for beginners and a simple setup to build an open-source project.
tags: webdev, beginners
cover_image: https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/wysy17sthq3wrt9tijml.jpg
canonical_url: https://docs.appseed.us/content/tutorials/minimal-programming-kit
---
Hello coders,

This page aims to help beginners to set up their PC for programming. All recommended tools are free, stable, and widely used even by experienced programmers and designers. In the end, we will build a popular open-source project using the downloaded tools. 

*Thanks for reading!* - Content provided by **[App Generator](https://appseed.us/)**.

---

> The Short-list

- A modern editor - [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/)
- [Nodejs](https://nodejs.org/en/) - used in Javascript-based products and tools
- [Python](https://www.python.org/) - a modern script language used for many types of projects 
- [GIT](https://git-scm.com/) - a command-line tool used to download sources from [Github](https://github.com/)

---

## VSCode

We need this software to visualize and edit the sources, execute our projects and investigate the issues that might occur during the programming process. 

- [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/) - official website
- [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/Download) - download page

---

![Programming Kit - VSCode editor.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/pr29ouux80qxitfe3pdx.png)

---

## NodeJS

Installing NodeJS unlocks access to a huge ecosystem that exposes 
many tools and libraries we can use in our projects:

- For coding web pages: [React](https://reactjs.org/), [Vue](https://vuejs.org/), [Svelte](https://svelte.dev/)
- Backend: [Express](https://expressjs.com/), [Fastify](https://www.fastify.io/), [Koa](https://koajs.com/)
- Tools: [Gulp](https://gulpjs.com/), [Webpack](https://webpack.js.org/)

---

To get started with **NodeJS** please access the official website and download a version compatible with your operating system

- [NodeJS](https://nodejs.org/en/) - official website
- [NodeJS](https://nodejs.org/en/download/) - download page

---

![Programming Kit - NodeJS.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2nowklhu6p46jx8fh5zt.png)

---

## Python 

Python is a general-purpose coding language—which means that, unlike HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it can be used for other types of programming and software development besides web development. Python is interpreted, easy to learn surrounded by a huge ecosystem, actively supported and used in many industries and domains. Can be used for things like (starting from the simple ones): 

- Basic programming: using strings, adding numbers, open files
- Writing system scripts (creating instructions that tell a computer system to “do” something)
- Back end (or server-side) web and mobile app development
- Desktop apps and software development
- Processing big data and performing mathematical computations

---

Python can be downloaded from the [official website](https://www.python.org/). Choose the installer for your operating system, download, and click a few times.

```bash
$ python --version
Python 3.7.2 <-- All Good
```

---

![Programming Kit - Python Interpreter.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/iuiuzuoggsyes9ie5brc.png)

---

## GIT

Git is a free and open-source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency. Using GIT we can clone/download and manage projects from Github and BitBucket with ease. 

- [GIT](https://git-scm.com/) - official website
- [GIT](https://git-scm.com/downloads) - download page

---

To check the installation, feel free to open a terminal and type  `git --version`:

```bash
git --version
git version 2.28.0.windows.1 <-- All Good
``` 

---

![Programming Kit - GIT versioning tool.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/zzonmw3atr4g9dmkfm2w.png)

---
 
## Build a Sample Project

To make this short tutorial useful, we will build in the local environment a popular open-source project from [Creative-Tim](https://bit.ly/3fKQZaL): [Material Kit](https://bit.ly/3u2lZc6) (free version) with a few commands typed in the terminal.  Material Kit is a Free Bootstrap 4 UI Kit with a fresh, new design inspired by Google's material design.  

- [Material Kit](https://bit.ly/3u2lZc6) - product page
- [Material Kit](https://bit.ly/2RMZDO4) - LIVE Demo 

To build locally this amazing product, we will follow up a simple setup: clone the sources from the public repository (Github), install modules, and start the template. Let's go!

---

> **Step #1** - Clone the sources

```bash
$ git clone https://github.com/creativetimofficial/material-kit.git
$ cd material-kit
```

---

> **Step #2** - Install project dependencies (this might take a while)

```bash
$ npm install
```

---

> **Step #3** - Start the project

```bash
$ npm run start
```

---

If all goes well, we should see **Material Kit** starter running in the browser: 

---

![Programming Kit - Sample Project.](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/1zhnq8ktvkojpo6tlnha.png)

--- 

**Thanks for reading!** For more resources, please access:

---

- Free **[React Dashboards](https://dev.to/sm0ke/react-dashboards-open-source-apps-1c7j)** - a curated list published here on Dev.to
- **[Open-source Dashboards](https://appseed.us/admin-dashboards/open-source)** provided by AppSeed