Day 1 dev setup: Installing Docker, WSL, Python, GitHub SSH (with some challenges & solutions)

By: Zipporah Mutanu Kimanthi

Hello friend

Today was Day 1 of setting up my development environment as I prepare for serious coding, collaboration, and deployment work. I want to walk you through what I did, the challenges I faced, and how I overcame them — so if you're just getting started, you won't feel alone.

Tools I Needed to Set Up
Before jumping into code, I had to make sure the following were correctly installed on my Windows laptop:

✅ Git

✅ Python 3.10+

✅ Text Editor (VS Code / PyCharm)

✅ WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

✅ Docker

✅ GitHub SSH Configuration

I already had the first four set up. The real work started with Docker and SSH configuration — and that’s where most of the challenges came in.

Installing Docker on Windows with WSL

Step-by-Step Installation

Downloaded Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop

During the install, I made sure to check “Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V”

Restarted my laptop

Opened WSL (Ubuntu), then verified installation using:

docker --version
docker run hey here is zippy

My First Challenge: Docker Command Not Found
When I ran docker in WSL, I got:

command not found: docker

How I Solved It:

Realized Docker Desktop must be running in the background

Also went to Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources → WSL Integration and turned on integration for Ubuntu

After restarting WSL: it worked!

Setting Up Git + GitHub with SSH (No More Password Prompts!)
This part is key if you want to push code to GitHub without typing your password every time.

What I Did:
Checked for SSH keys:

ls -al ~/.ssh
Created a new SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "[e-mail]"
Started the agent and added the key:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
Copied the public key:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
Pasted the key on GitHub:
GitHub → Settings → SSH & GPG Keys → New SSH key → Paste → Save

Tested connection:

ssh -T [e-mail]
My SSH Challenge: “Permission denied (publickey)”
When I tried pushing to GitHub, I got:

vbnet
Permission denied (publickey)
fatal: Could not read from remote repository.

Fix:

I had copied the wrong key file (id_ed25519 instead of id_ed25519.pub)

Re-copied the correct .pub file and updated it on GitHub

Then it worked!

What I Learned
Docker is powerful but depends heavily on proper WSL setup on Windows

Docker Desktop must be running and integrated with WSL

SSH setup can be frustrating but once done, it's smooth sailing

Mistakes like copying the wrong file are normal — just retrace your steps

Always test with docker run hello-world or any word you want to use and ssh -T [e-mail]

Final Tips
Use VS Code with the WSL extension for the best experience

Use git config to set your identity globally:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[e-mail]"
Always use the SSH URL when cloning:

Now that I’ve installed and configured:

Git ✅

Python ✅

Text Editor ✅

WSL ✅

Docker ✅

GitHub SSH ✅

I'm fully set up to begin building and collaborating like a real developer.

Connect With Me
I'm Zipporah Mutanu Kimanthi, growing every day in tech, and sharing everything I learn to help others like me.

Let me know in the comments if you faced similar issues or need help!