Setting up a dev environment can feel overwhelming at first, especially with tools like Git, WSL, Docker, and SSH. I recently went through this process and wanted to share how I did it — including tips, common mistakes, and useful links to help you avoid frustration.
✅ What I Installed and Why
Git – for version control and working with repositories
👉 Download: https://git-scm.com/downloads
Python 3.10+ – needed for scripting and backend development
👉 Download: https://www.python.org/downloads/
VS Code / PyCharm – code editors for writing and debugging
👉 VS Code: https://code.visualstudio.com/
👉 PyCharm: https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/download/
WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) – for Linux tooling on Windows
👉 Guide: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install
Docker – to run containers and keep dev environments clean
👉 Download: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
SSH with GitHub – to connect to GitHub securely
👉 Guide: https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh
🔧 Step-by-Step Setup
- Git and SSH
Installed Git and configured my name and email:
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"
Generated SSH keys:
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "you@example.com"
Added my public key to GitHub via Settings → SSH & GPG keys
Started the SSH agent and added the key:
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
- Python and Code Editors
Installed Python 3.10+ and verified the version:
python --version
Installed PyCharm for heavy projects, and VS Code for lighter edits
Set up a virtual environment:
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate # On Linux/macOS
.\venv\Scripts\activate # On Windows
- WSL (for Windows Users)
Enabled WSL by running:
wsl --install
Downloaded Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store
Updated and installed essentials:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip git
- Docker
Installed Docker Desktop and enabled WSL 2 integration
Tested Docker installation:
docker run hello-world
⚠️ What Went Wrong (And How I Fixed It)
SSH wouldn’t connect – I forgot to start the SSH agent
Docker didn’t work – WSL was not set to version 2
Wrong Python version – I was using Windows Python instead of WSL’s
These challenges helped me understand the tools better and troubleshoot on my own.
💡 Helpful Extras
Installed VS Code extensions: Python, Docker, GitLens, Remote - WSL
Added some Git aliases for speed:
git config --global alias.st status
git config --global alias.ci "commit -m"
🎯 Final Thoughts
After setting all this up, I now have a complete dev environment that allows me to:
Build and test apps easily
Use Linux tools while staying on Windows
Push to GitHub securely using SSH
Run isolated projects in Docker containers
It might seem like a lot at first, but every step taught me something useful. If you’re just getting started, take your time and embrace the errors — they’re part of the process
Top comments (1)
perfect!