My Development Setup: A Student Developer’s Guide

My Development Setup: A Student Developer’s Guide

My Development Setup: A Student Developer’s Guide

Ready to level up your coding environment? Here’s my complete development setup that keeps me productive and ready for any project.

Hardware Foundation

I use a MacBook Air M4 with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage. It handles multiple development servers and large projects easily. The 16GB RAM makes multitasking smooth, even with many browser tabs and VS Code windows open.

Cloud Storage Strategy

iCloud is my backup solution for documents and project archives. I don’t store active development projects here—Git handles that—but it’s perfect for syncing files across devices.

Package Manager: Homebrew

Homebrew makes installing and managing development tools simple.

Install Homebrew

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Terminal: Warp

Warp is a modern terminal with AI-powered command suggestions, blocks, and workflows. It makes terminal work faster and easier.

Install Warp

brew install --cask warp

Code Editor: VS Code

Visual Studio Code is my editor of choice. It’s flexible, lightweight, and has tons of useful extensions.

Install VS Code

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Python Development: UV

UV is a fast Python package installer and resolver written in Rust.

Install UV

brew install uv

Quick Usage

# Create project
uv init my-project
cd my-project

# Add dependencies
uv add requests pandas

# Install dependencies
uv sync

# Run project
uv run python main.py

AI Assistant: Gemini CLI

Gemini CLI helps with debugging, code suggestions, and learning new concepts. I use it as a tool, not a crutch.

Install Gemini CLI

brew install gemini

Version Control: GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop provides a visual interface for Git operations like branching, merges, and conflict resolution.

Install GitHub Desktop

brew install --cask github

Complete Setup

# Install Homebrew if needed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install all tools
brew install --cask warp
brew install --cask visual-studio-code
brew install uv
brew install gemini
brew install --cask github

Why This Setup Works

  • Efficient: Every tool serves a purpose
  • Modern: Current, actively developed tools
  • Balanced: Automation + learning opportunities
  • Scalable: Works for simple scripts and complex projects

What’s Next?

In my next post, I’ll share a deep dive into my VS Code setup, including extensions, settings, and debugging configuration.

What’s your current development setup? Share your tips in the comments!

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