Prerequisites

Machine and network requirements

Do not use your work machine

We do not recommend using your work machine as you may run into issues installing software and network restrictions due to company policies.

Please ensure that your machine and network meet the following requirements:

1. Choose a personal computer with a recently updated operating system. For Windows users, please see the requirements for Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
2. At least 8 GB of RAM is recommended for running development tools and cloud services smoothly.
3. A minimum of 20 GB of free disk space to accommodate software installations and project files.
4. A stable internet connection to access online video calls and cloud services. You may encounter restrictions if you are on a corporate or school network.

Basic programming concepts

While we typically do not write code when developing cloud infrastructure, we have found that knowing basic programming concepts is beneficial to our students. Concepts like variables, functions, and control structures are often used in infrastructure-as-code tools and cloud service configurations.

Learn Python An interactive tutorial to learn the basics of programming using Python.

Know how to use a code editor

Knowing your way around a code editor will help you navigate files, update configurations, and run scripts efficiently. We will use Visual Studio Code (VS Code), but feel free to use any code editor you prefer.

Get started with VS Code In this tutorial, you learn about the key features of Visual Studio Code.

VS Code keyboard shortcuts Learn the most important keyboard shortcuts to boost your productivity.

Linux terminal commands

You should know how to navigate around the file system, run scripts, and install software directly from the terminal. Common commands you should be familiar with include cd, ls, cp, mv, rm, and mkdir. You should ideally know how to use a text editor like nano or vim.

For Linux and macOS users, you can practice using the built-in terminal application on your machine or install a terminal emulators of your choosing. For Windows users, please refer to the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) section below.

Terminal Tutor An interactive tutorial to learn basic Linux terminal commands.

Terminal Temple Practice terminal commands with an online terminal emulator.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

A note to Windows users

Some Windows users may struggle with the course because you are working on a Windows machine but developing on a Linux-based environment. These are two distinctly different operating systems with different file systems, command-line interfaces, and software compatibility. As such, navigating the file system, saving and opening files, and using terminal commands can be confusing so we recommend you familiarize yourself with WSL and VS Code prior to the course.

For Windows users, you should be familiar with using the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) to run a Linux environment directly on your Windows machine and how to set it up to work with VS Code.

Windows Subsystem for Linux with Visual Studio Code In this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

Install WSL on Windows Instructions on how to install WSL on your Windows machine.

Upgrade from WSL 1 to WSL 2 Instructions on how to install WSL on your Windows machine.