In this section, we will guide you through the process of setting up your development environment for Ionic. This includes installing necessary software, setting up your development tools, and verifying that everything is working correctly.

Before we begin, ensure you have the following prerequisites installed on your system:

1. Node.js and npm: Ionic requires Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager). You can download and install them from Node.js official website.

2. Git: Git is a version control system that is widely used in software development. You can download and install it from Git official website.

• Windows/MacOS: Download the installer from the Node.js official website and follow the installation instructions.
• Linux: Use the package manager of your distribution. For example, on Ubuntu, you can use:

  sudo apt update
  sudo apt install nodejs npm
  

Open your terminal or command prompt and run the following commands to verify the installation:

You should see the version numbers of Node.js and npm, respectively.

The Ionic Command Line Interface (CLI) is a powerful tool that helps you create, build, test, and deploy Ionic applications.

To install the Ionic CLI, run the following command in your terminal or command prompt:

After the installation is complete, verify it by running:

You should see the version number of the Ionic CLI.

While you can use any text editor to write your code, we recommend using Visual Studio Code (VS Code) for its powerful features and extensions. You can download and install it from Visual Studio Code official website.

If you plan to build and test your Ionic applications on Android devices, you will need Android Studio. Download and install it from Android Studio official website.

If you plan to build and test your Ionic applications on iOS devices, you will need Xcode. You can download and install it from the Mac App Store.

Now that you have everything installed, let's create a new Ionic project to ensure that your environment is set up correctly.

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.
2. Navigate to the directory where you want to create your project.
3. Run the following command to create a new Ionic project:

This command will create a new Ionic project named myFirstApp using the blank template.

Run the following command to serve your application:

This command will start a local development server and open your new Ionic app in your default web browser.

Congratulations! You have successfully set up your development environment for Ionic. You have installed Node.js, npm, the Ionic CLI, and optionally Android Studio and Xcode. You have also created and served your first Ionic application. In the next section, we will dive deeper into creating your first Ionic app and understanding the project structure.

By following these steps, you have laid a solid foundation for your Ionic development journey. Happy coding!