Prerequisites

Overview

This tutorial assumes you are comfortable typing commands in a terminal but may be brand new to backend development. We explain each step and link to longer articles if you want to dive deeper.

Time commitment

Estimated duration: 90–120 minutes
Work through the chapters in order: Foundations → Environment & Configuration → Data Modeling → CRUD Implementation → Testing & Debugging → Next Steps

Required tools

Tool	Why we need it	Install link
Node.js 20 LTS	Runs NestJS and command-line tooling	nodejs.org
npm	Package manager that ships with Node.js	Included with Node installer
Nest CLI	Generates project files and helps run the server	`npx @nestjs/cli@latest --help` or `npm install -g @nestjs/cli`
Git	Version control; optional but recommended	git-scm.com
GitHub account	Hosts your repository and PRs	github.com/signup
Code editor	Write code (VS Code recommended)	code.visualstudio.com
MongoDB	Database. Use Docker or MongoDB Atlas (cloud)	See options below
API client	Test endpoints (curl, HTTPie, or Postman)	Optional

Tip: If you haven’t installed command-line tools before, follow the official guides linked above. Each installer walks you through the process step-by-step.

Check your versions

Open a terminal and confirm everything is available:

node --version    # should print v20.x.x
npm --version     # any 10.x+ version
npx --version     # checks npx availability
git --version

If npx or nest is not found, it simply means you did not install the CLI globally. That’s okay—you can still run npx @nestjs/cli ... in the next steps.

Choose your MongoDB path

You need one of the following:

Docker container
- Install Docker Desktop
- Run the compose file provided in Local Development
Pros
- Works offline once Docker images are downloaded.
- Easy to reset—stop the container and start fresh if you break something.
- Matches typical professional local-development setups, so skills transfer directly.
Cons
- Docker Desktop is a large install and can feel overwhelming the first time.
- Needs sufficient disk space and CPU/RAM; older laptops may struggle.
- Container networking adds extra terminology (ports, volumes) to learn.
MongoDB Atlas free tier
- Create a free account at mongodb.com/cloud/atlas
- Set up a Cluster (M0 free tier) and create a database user
- Use the connection string later in the setup page
Pros
- No local installs beyond the app itself—helpful on school-issued or low-spec hardware.
- Web UI shows collections/documents visually, which aids understanding.
- Teaches you how real production databases authenticate and whitelist IPs.
Cons
- Requires an internet connection; slow Wi-Fi makes requests feel laggy.
- Initial setup (account, project, network access) has several screens to complete.
- Copying the connection string precisely is easy to mess up; mistakes create confusing auth errors.

We will remind you when to switch between local Docker and Atlas.