Requirements and Preparation

Prepare Before You Begin

To follow this guide, you will need several tools and accounts. Let's set them all up step by step.

1. An Existing WordPress Site

You need a WordPress site where your content lives. If you don't have one:

• Install WordPress on your current hosting
• Install locally for testing: LocalWP, XAMPP
• Start a free blog on WordPress.com

2. Node.js Installation

Node.js allows you to run JavaScript on your computer. It is required for Next.js.

Windows:

1. Go to nodejs.org
2. Download the LTS version (recommended)
3. Run the installer and follow the 'Next' prompts
4. Once finished, open Command Prompt

Mac:

# Installation via Homebrew (recommended)
brew install node

# Or download from nodejs.org

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

Verification:

node --version
# Should be v18.0.0 or higher

npm --version
# Should be 9.0.0 or higher

3. Code Editor: VS Code

Visual Studio Code is the most popular free code editor.

1. Go to code.visualstudio.com
2. Download the version for your OS
3. Install and open it

Recommended VS Code Extensions:

• ES7+ React/Redux/React-Native snippets - Fast code writing
• Tailwind CSS IntelliSense - Tailwind auto-completion
• Prettier - Code formatting
• GitLens - View Git history

4. Git Installation

Git allows you to version your code and upload it to GitHub.

Windows:

1. Go to git-scm.com
2. Download and install for Windows
3. Accept the default settings during installation

Mac:

# Open terminal, type git
# If not installed, it will suggest an automatic install
git --version

Linux:

sudo apt install git -y

Git Configuration:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "[email protected]"

5. Terminal Basics

We will be using the command line. Don't worry, these are simple commands!

• Windows: PowerShell or Command Prompt
• Mac: Terminal app
• VS Code: Ctrl+` (backtick) opens the built-in terminal

Preparation Checklist

Make sure these are ready before proceeding:

• ☐ WordPress site (with content)
• ☐ Node.js 18+ installed
• ☐ VS Code installed
• ☐ Git installed and configured
• ☐ Ability to use the terminal