Set up your machine: Node.js, VS Code, Git and a free AI assistant

In this lesson you will set up the four things you need for the whole track: Node.js (runs JavaScript outside the browser and powers React tools), VS Code (your code editor), Git (saves versions of your project) and a free AI assistant (chat in the browser, plus an assistant inside VS Code).

Prerequisites: a laptop or desktop with Windows 10/11, macOS or Linux, about 2 GB of free disk space and an internet connection. A phone is not enough for this track. Allow about 30 minutes; downloads on a slow connection take the most time.

Node.js comes with npm, a tool that downloads JavaScript packages such as React. Install the LTS (long-term support) version, which is the stable one. Download it from the official site, nodejs.org, and run the installer with the default options.

On Windows 10/11 you can also use the Windows Package Manager from PowerShell or Command Prompt:

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Installs the current Node.js LTS. Close and reopen the terminal afterwards so it picks up the new program.

brew install node

Installs Node.js. If you do not have Homebrew, use the installer from nodejs.org instead.

On Linux, the simplest safe way is the installer or package instructions on nodejs.org for your distribution. Distribution packages are often old.

Now check that it works. Open a new terminal (on Windows: search for PowerShell or Windows Terminal) and run:

node -v
npm -v

Each command prints a version number.

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free code editor from Microsoft. Download it from code.visualstudio.com and install it with the defaults. On Windows, keep the options that add "Open with Code" to the right-click menu and add it to PATH ticked, if the installer offers them. They let you open a folder from the terminal with code ..

Or, on Windows:

Open VS Code. Useful things to know on day one:

- Explorer (top icon on the left): your files and folders. - Terminal: menu Terminal, then New Terminal. It opens a terminal inside the editor, already in your project folder. - Command Palette: press Ctrl+Shift+P (Cmd+Shift+P on Mac) and type what you want, for example "Install Extension". - Save: Ctrl+S. Unsaved files show a dot on the tab.

Git records the history of your project. Each saved point is a commit. If an AI edit breaks your code, you can go back to the last commit. Download from git-scm.com, or:

git --version

Prints something like git version 2.x.x. On macOS, the first run may offer to install Apple's command line tools; accept.

Tell Git who you are. This name and email are written into your commits. Use your own name; the email can be your personal one (GitHub also offers a private no-reply address).

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

Sets your identity and makes new repositories start on a branch called main.

You need two things: a chat assistant in the browser and, optionally, an editor assistant inside VS Code. Both have free options at the time of writing (2026). Limits change, so read each provider's page.

Pick one chat assistant now. You do not need all of them; switching later is easy. If you are a student, look at the GitHub Student Developer Pack, which can give verified students free access to Copilot Pro.

To add GitHub Copilot in VS Code:

Now test everything together with a tiny project: create a folder, write one JavaScript file, run it with Node and save it with Git.

mkdir ai-practice
cd ai-practice
code .

Makes a folder called ai-practice and opens it in VS Code. If code . is not found, open VS Code and use File, Open Folder instead.

const shop = "Brew & Bean";
const items = [
  { name: "Espresso", price: 120 },
  { name: "Masala Chai", price: 90 },
];

const total = items.reduce((sum, item) => sum + item.price, 0);
console.log(`Welcome to ${shop}. A coffee and a chai cost Rs ${total}.`);

Adds up the prices in a list and prints a sentence.

Next, a .gitignore file tells Git which files never to save. Two matter in almost every project: node_modules (thousands of downloaded files that can be recreated) and .env (secret keys). Create a file named .gitignore in the same folder with these lines:

node_modules
.env

Git will skip these files and folders.

git init
git add .
git commit -m "First commit: hello.js"
git log --oneline

git init starts tracking the folder. git add . stages all files. git commit saves them with a message. git log --oneline shows the history.

Your hash (the letters and digits at the start) will differ. If it printed one line like this, Git works.

Try your first AI interaction with real code. Copy hello.js into the chat assistant, or select it in VS Code and use the editor assistant's chat.

I am a beginner. Explain this [language] code line by line in plain English. Tell me what each line does and what it prints. Then ask me 2 questions to check that I understood.

[paste your code]

What to expect: A good answer explains reduce (it adds the prices one by one starting from 0) and the template string with backticks. If it uses words you do not know, ask it to explain those too.