Installations & Local Environment

On this page, you’ll find an overview of the tools you need to install to work comfortably and consistently at Terra. Each tool listed here plays a specific role in your local development workflow.

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Core Tools

These are the essential tools you’ll use daily when developing, debugging, and collaborating on Terra projects.

NVM (Node Version Manager)

NVM allows you to install and manage multiple versions of Node.js on the same machine.

At Terra, NVM is required to guarantee that everyone runs projects using the correct Node version.

GitHub Desktop

GitHub Desktop is a visual interface for working with Git repositories.

While you can use Git via the command line, GitHub Desktop is strongly recommended at Terra for clarity and safety.

Browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari)

You should have Chrome, Firefox, and Safari (macOS) installed. At Terra, we actively test in multiple browsers, not just Chrome.

For more testing context, you can take a look at our BrowserStack guide.

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Local Servers

Local servers allow you to run backend-driven projects (such as WordPress) on your own machine.

XAMPP

XAMPP provides a complete local server environment, including Apache, PHP, and MySQL.

XAMPP is our standard local server solution at Terra.

PHP Configuration

PHP is the core language behind WordPress and many Terra projects.

Proper PHP configuration ensures your local environment behaves as close as possible to production.

MySQL Basics

MySQL is the database system used by WordPress.

You don’t need to be a database expert, but basic familiarity is essential.

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Code Editor

Visual Studio Code

VS Studio Code is the recommended code editor at Terra.

With the right extensions installed, VS Code becomes a powerful and consistent development environment across the team.