Lesson 3: Setting Up Your Development Environment

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Introduction: Before you can start building mobile apps, you need to set up your development environment. This involves installing Node.js, Expo CLI, and a code editor like Visual Studio Code.

Step 1: Install Node.js

1. Visit the Node.js website and download the LTS version.
2. Follow the installation instructions for your operating system.

Step 2: Install Expo CLI

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Run the following command:
   npm install -g expo-cli


Step 3: Set Up Your Code Editor

1. Download and install Visual Studio Code.
2. Install relevant extensions for JavaScript and React Native.

Step 4: Create a New Expo Project

1. In your terminal, run:
   expo init MyFirstApp

2. Choose the “blank” template.
3. Navigate to your project directory:
   cd MyFirstApp

4. Start the development server:
   expo start


Conclusion: With your development environment set up, you’re ready to start building your first mobile app. Let’s move on to learning about ReactJS and Expo in the next lesson.