Cloud Dev Setup on Ubuntu

Photo by Bernd Dittrich on Unsplash

Setting up a new machine for cloud work means the same handful of tools every time. Here's the whole setup, one piece at a time.

Visual Studio Code

1. Download the Linux 64-bit .deb file from the official VS Code docs
2. Open a terminal and go to your Downloads folder: cd Downloads/
3. Install it: sudo dpkg -i code_1.28.2–1539735992_amd64.deb
4. Launch it from the system search and add the extensions you want (Python, C/C++, C# are good starting points)

Terraform

1. Download the Linux 64-bit build from terraform.io/downloads.html
2. Go to your Downloads folder
3. Unzip it: unzip terraform_0.11.xx_linux_amd64.zip
4. Move the binary onto your path: sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin
5. Confirm it worked by just running terraform

GitHub

1. Install git: sudo apt-get -y install git
2. Set your identity:

• git config --global user.name "your github username"
• git config --global user.email "your github email address"

1. You're ready to clone and commit

Serverless Framework

1. Install curl: sudo apt-get install curl
2. Download Node.js: curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_11.x | sudo -E bash –
3. Install Node.js: sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
4. Update the system: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
5. Install build tools: sudo apt-get install -y build-essential
6. Install the framework: sudo npm install -g serverless

Python

Ubuntu usually ships with 2.7.12 and 3.5.2 already installed. To get 3.6:

1. Add the repo: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/python-3.6
2. Update and install: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install python3.6
3. Confirm with: python3.6

Boto3

The AWS SDK for Python.

1. Install pip: sudo apt-get install python-pip python-dev build-essential
2. Install boto3: pip install boto3

Jupyter Notebooks

1. Install it: sudo python3 –m pip install jupyter
2. Start one: jupyter notebook
3. It opens a local page in your browser where you can write and run code, equations, and notes side by side

That's the whole stack: editor, IaC, runtime, SDK, version control, and a serverless deploy tool, all from a clean Ubuntu install.

Practical guide: if you want to try this yourself

A distilled, tool-by-tool checklist in the order this setup installs everything.

1. VS Code. Download the Linux 64-bit .deb from the official docs, install it with sudo dpkg -i code_1.28.2–1539735992_amd64.deb, then launch it and add the extensions you want (Python, C/C++, C# are good starting points).
2. Terraform. Download the Linux 64-bit build from terraform.io/downloads.html, unzip it with unzip terraform_0.11.xx_linux_amd64.zip, move the binary onto your path with sudo mv terraform /usr/local/bin, and confirm it worked by running terraform.
3. Git. Install it with sudo apt-get -y install git, then set your identity with git config --global user.name "your github username" and git config --global user.email "your github email address".
4. Node.js (for the Serverless Framework). Install curl with sudo apt-get install curl, add the NodeSource repo with curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_11.x | sudo -E bash –, then install it with sudo apt-get install -y nodejs.
5. System update and build tools. Run sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade, then install build tooling with sudo apt-get install -y build-essential.
6. Serverless Framework. Install it globally with sudo npm install -g serverless.
7. Python 3.6. Add the repo with sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonathonf/python-3.6, update and install with sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install python3.6, and confirm with python3.6.
8. Boto3 (AWS SDK for Python). Install pip with sudo apt-get install python-pip python-dev build-essential, then install the SDK with pip install boto3.
9. Jupyter Notebooks. Install it with sudo python3 –m pip install jupyter, then start one with jupyter notebook to get a local browser page for running code, equations, and notes side by side.