Course / Module 2 / Development Tools

Development Tools

Let's install all the tools you need for AWS Amplify development. We'll cover Node.js, Git, AWS CLI, and VS Code with extensions.

1. Install Node.js and npm

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime that powers Nuxt, the Amplify CLI, and most modern frontend tooling. npm (Node Package Manager) comes bundled with Node.js.

Windows Installation

Option A: Using winget (Recommended)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS

Option B: Manual Download

  1. Go to nodejs.org
  2. Download the LTS (Long Term Support) version
  3. Run the installer with default options
  4. Restart your terminal after installation

Verify Installation

Open a new PowerShell window and check the versions:

node --version

Expected: v20.x.x or v22.x.x

npm --version

Expected: 10.x.x

💡
LTS vs Current

Always use the LTS (Long Term Support) version for production work. It receives security updates and is more stable. The "Current" version has the newest features but may have breaking changes.

2. Install Git

Git is essential for version control and required for Amplify Hosting deployments.

Windows Installation

winget install Git.Git

Or download from git-scm.com

Configure Git

After installation, set your identity:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Verify Installation

git --version

Expected: git version 2.x.x

3. Install AWS CLI

The AWS Command Line Interface allows you to interact with AWS services from your terminal. It's also used by Amplify behind the scenes.

Windows Installation

winget install Amazon.AWSCLI

Or download from aws.amazon.com/cli

Verify Installation

Open a new PowerShell window:

aws --version

Expected: aws-cli/2.x.x Python/3.x.x Windows/10

⚠️
Restart Your Terminal

After installing tools via winget or installers, you may need to close and reopen PowerShell for the commands to be available.

4. Install Visual Studio Code

VS Code is our recommended editor for Amplify development due to its excellent TypeScript and Vue.js support.

Windows Installation

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

Or download from code.visualstudio.com

Install Essential Extensions

Open VS Code and install these extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X to open Extensions panel):

Extension Publisher Purpose
Vue - Official Vue Vue.js language support (syntax, IntelliSense)
TypeScript Vue Plugin (Volar) Vue TypeScript support in .vue files
ESLint Microsoft JavaScript/TypeScript linting
Prettier Prettier Code formatting
AWS Toolkit Amazon Web Services AWS service integration
GitHub Copilot GitHub AI code completion (optional but helpful)

Or install via command line:

code --install-extension Vue.volar
code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
code --install-extension amazonwebservices.aws-toolkit-vscode

5. Amplify CLI (ampx)

The Amplify CLI (ampx) is used to manage your Amplify backend. Unlike other tools, you don't install it globally—you run it via npx.

How it Works

When you run npx ampx, npm automatically downloads and runs the latest version. This ensures you're always using the correct version for your project.

npx ampx --version

This will download ampx (if not cached) and show the version number.

💡
npx vs npm

npm installs packages. npx runs packages without installing them globally. For one-off commands like ampx, npx is preferred.

6. Optional: GitHub CLI

The GitHub CLI makes it easier to work with GitHub repositories, issues, and pull requests from the command line.

winget install GitHub.cli

After installation, authenticate:

gh auth login

Follow the prompts to authenticate with your GitHub account.

Installation Checklist

Run these commands to verify everything is installed:

# Check all installations
node --version      # v20.x.x or v22.x.x
npm --version       # 10.x.x
git --version       # git version 2.x.x
aws --version       # aws-cli/2.x.x
code --version      # 1.x.x (VS Code)
npx ampx --version  # 1.x.x

Troubleshooting

"command not found" errors

  • Close and reopen PowerShell after installing new tools
  • Ensure the tool was installed to a directory in your PATH
  • Try running PowerShell as Administrator

Permission errors with npm

If you get EACCES errors when installing npm packages globally:

  • On Windows, run PowerShell as Administrator
  • Or use npx instead of global installs

VS Code not recognizing TypeScript

  • Ensure the Vue - Official extension is installed
  • Restart VS Code after installing extensions
  • Check that you've opened the project folder (not a parent folder)

Summary

✅ You Should Now Have Installed:

  • Node.js (v20.x or v22.x LTS) with npm
  • Git (v2.x) configured with your identity
  • AWS CLI (v2.x)
  • VS Code with Vue, ESLint, and Prettier extensions
  • ampx available via npx
  • GitHub CLI (optional)