Prerequisites

Required Tools

1. Git

Version control system for cloning the repository.

Install:

macOS: Comes pre-installed or brew install git
Windows: Download from git-scm.com
Linux: sudo apt install git or sudo yum install git

Verify:


git --version
# Expected: git version 2.x.x or higher

2. Bun

Fast JavaScript runtime and package manager (replaces Node.js + npm).

Install:


# macOS/Linux
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
 
# Windows (PowerShell)
powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

Verify:


bun --version
# Expected: 1.1.0 or higher

Bun is required - it’s faster than npm/yarn and used throughout the project for scripts and runtime.

3. Docker Desktop

Container platform for running infrastructure services.

Install:

macOS: Download from docker.com/products/docker-desktop
Windows: Same link above (requires WSL2)
Linux: Install Docker Engine + Docker Compose

Verify:


docker --version
docker compose version
 
# Expected:
# Docker version 24.x.x or higher
# Docker Compose version v2.x.x or higher

Requirements:

At least 4 GB RAM allocated to Docker
At least 10 GB free disk space
Docker Desktop running before starting services

Optional but Recommended

Code Editor

VS Code with these extensions:

Biome (biomejs.biome) - Linting and formatting
Prisma (Prisma.prisma) - Database schema support
MDX (unifiedjs.vscode-mdx) - Documentation editing
TypeScript + JavaScript - Usually pre-installed
Tailwind CSS IntelliSense - CSS class autocomplete

Alternative editors: WebStorm, Cursor, or any editor with TypeScript support.

Database Clients (Optional)

For manual database inspection beyond Prisma Studio:

TablePlus (macOS/Windows) - Great UI for PostgreSQL
DBeaver (Cross-platform) - Free, supports all databases
psql CLI - Command-line PostgreSQL client

Redis Clients (Optional)

Beyond RedisInsight (included):

RedisInsight (Standalone) - More features than Docker version
Medis (macOS) - Native Redis GUI
redis-cli - Command-line client

System Requirements

Minimum

OS: macOS 11+, Windows 10/11 with WSL2, or Linux
RAM: 8 GB (4 GB for Docker, 4 GB for development)
Disk: 15 GB free space
CPU: 2 cores

Port Requirements

These ports must be available:

Port	Service	Can Change?
3000	Web app	Yes (in code)
3001	Auth app	Yes (in code)
3002	Docs app	Yes (in code)
5433	PostgreSQL	Yes (Docker Compose)
5434	TimescaleDB	Yes (Docker Compose)
5540	RedisInsight	Yes (Docker Compose)
5555	Prisma Studio	Yes (Docker Compose)
5672	RabbitMQ AMQP	Yes (Docker Compose)
6379	Redis	Yes (Docker Compose)
7700	Meilisearch	Yes (Docker Compose)
9000	MinIO API	Yes (Docker Compose)
9001	MinIO Console	Yes (Docker Compose)
15672	RabbitMQ Mgmt	Yes (Docker Compose)

Pre-Flight Check

Run these commands to verify you’re ready:


# Check Git
git --version
 
# Check Bun
bun --version
 
# Check Docker
docker --version
docker compose version
 
# Check Docker is running
docker ps
 
# Check available disk space
df -h .  # macOS/Linux
# or use GUI on Windows

All commands should complete without errors.

Common issue: If Docker commands fail, make sure Docker Desktop is running and you’ve completed the initial setup.

Next: Installation

Once all prerequisites are installed and verified, proceed to Installation.