Getting Setup
In this guide we'll explain everything you need to get ready for our course.
Please make sure that the laptop you are using meets the minimum specification for our course.
If your laptop does not meet the minimum specification - please contact us for a replacement.
We can offer you a range of support whilst you are studying with us this includes
- Laptops
- Other computer hardware
- Childcare support
- Internet access
- Travel costs
Please note: Some of these levels of support may not be possible in the city that you attend. Please check with your.
Make a backup of all of your essential files (i.e. files you would be unhappy to lose) from your laptop (the one you use for CYF work), to a DIFFERENT device.
Over this course we may be asking you to install software or change your computer in ways.
When doing some certain tasks there is a very small risk of doing something wrong and this affecting some of the files on your laptop. For this reason we ask you to back up your laptop.
This also gives our volunteers the confidence to recommend different options when trying to make software work when it doesn't.
You could back up your files to
- The Cloud (e.g. Google Drive or DropBox),
- Another computer
- An external hard disk
- A USB stick
You MUST NOT back-up the files simply to another folder in the same laptop
You will probably have to research online to find your solution
You can complete our course on any UNIX based Operating System. If you have a Mac, Mac OSX is UNIX based. Otherwise, we recommend that you use Linux.
If you need a laptop, please speak an organisers and we can provide you with one.
We recommend using Ubuntu Linux to complete this course. If you need it, we can help you with this step.
We don't support Windows.
We use VS Code to write all of our code in the course. It is known as an Integrated Developer Environment and really helps you write great code!
We also recommend that you install the follow extensions in Visual Studio Code.
Essential
- Prettier - Code formatter - Format your code automatically
- ESLint - Linter - Tells you when your code is wrong
- Code Spell Checker - Tells you when you've spelt something wrong
Helpful
- GitLens — Git supercharged - Connect with GitHub/Git
- Live Server - Run your code in the browser
- Live Share - Share your project with a team
We also suggest that you enable format on save so that your code stays formatted
- 1.
- 2.Search for
editor format
- 3.Set
editor.formatOnSave
andeditor.formatOnPaste
to true - 4.Set the "Default Formatter" to be Prettier

Although you can install some of the following software onto a phone, it is required you install it onto your laptop.
Chrome is one of the best browsers for web developers with a great set of tools for testing and building websites
We use Slack to communicate with each other easily, to share files and to have video calls. You'll find all of your other students on here!
You'll need to login when you've download this. Speak to your teachers to get invited when you start the course.
We use Zoom for bigger video calls such as weekend classrooms when they are remote.
We use this tool to run our code and later in the course to help us make websites.
We use this tool to upload our code to the internet so others can see it.
We use a lot of Google products in the class so it's essential that everyone has a Gmail address. If you do not already have one then please register below.
We use Github to submit our homework and to share code with each other. Please make sure that you have created an account and are logged in before you attend your first lesson.
As part of being a trainee at CodeYourFuture you should be a part of our Github Team.
Please speak to your city coordinator to get invited to your Classes Github team or post on Slack.
We'll be using Codewars later in the course help us practice our JavaScript.
Follow the setup instructions here to get setup.
Last modified 1mo ago