Prepare your computer

Install the four tools

1. Install Node.js 24 from Node.js downloads. Use the installer for your operating system. Node runs the tools that build your site.
2. Install Git using the Git installation instructions. On macOS, running git --version may offer Apple’s command-line tools. On Windows, Git for Windows includes Git Bash, which you can use for this course’s shell commands.
3. Install a text editor. VS Code is one option; its Astro extension adds syntax support. Open folders in the editor, rather than treating every file as an unrelated document.
4. Open a terminal: Terminal on macOS, your Linux terminal, or Git Bash on Windows.

Close and reopen the terminal after installation so it sees the new commands.

node --version
npm --version
git --version

The Node output should start with v24.. The exact patch version may differ.

Install pnpm

Node’s installer supplies npm. Use it to install the package manager this course uses:

npm install --global pnpm@11.19.0
pnpm --version

Expect 11.19.0. If the global install reports a permission error, follow pnpm’s installation options or use a Node version manager configured for your user. Avoid repeatedly installing packages with administrator privileges to hide a permissions problem.

You do not need both npm and pnpm lockfiles in your project. We will use pnpm for all project dependencies and commit pnpm-lock.yaml.

Understand terminal paths

The terminal operates in a current directory. These commands show and change it:

pwd
ls
mkdir blog-course
cd blog-course

Run these in a parent folder where you keep projects. If blog-course already exists, use cd blog-course; do not overwrite an existing project. On Windows, use Git Bash for pwd and ls, or use the equivalent commands in your preferred shell.

In the next lesson, the project will live at blog-course/my-blog. Keep it outside a folder shared publicly. Open the project folder in your editor once you create it.

Accounts can wait until deployment

Create or verify your own GitHub and Cloudflare accounts before Lessons 07 and 08. Use multifactor authentication and save recovery codes in your password manager. You can learn and finish the local site without authorizing either service yet.

Checkpoint

• node --version shows Node 24.
• pnpm --version shows 11.19.0.
• git --version succeeds.
• You know which folder your terminal is in and can create a text file in your editor.

If a command is “not found,” reopen the terminal and check the tool’s installation/PATH before continuing. If it reports the wrong Node version, select Node 24 in your version manager and reopen the terminal.