4 Environment Setup

Setting up your development environment correctly is crucial for a smooth Tercen development experience. This chapter covers all the tools, accounts, and configurations you’ll need to start building operators, workflow templates, and applications for the Tercen platform.

4.1 Prerequisites

Before diving into Tercen development, ensure you have the following essential tools and accounts set up:

4.1.1 Required Tools

Git Version Control - Install Git for your operating system - Git is essential for version control and collaboration - Verify installation: git --version

Docker

Docker is required for local testing and deployment of operators. Installation varies by platform:

Windows: - Install Docker Desktop for Windows - Important: Select the WSL 2 backend option during installation for optimal performance - Requires Windows 10/11 with WSL 2 enabled

macOS: - Install Docker Desktop for Mac - Available for both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2) Macs - Download the appropriate version for your chip architecture

Linux: - Install Docker Engine: Follow the official Docker installation guide for Linux - Or install Docker Desktop for Linux: Docker Desktop for Linux - Popular distributions have specific installation steps (Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, etc.)

Verification (all platforms):

docker --version
docker run hello-world

Ensure the Docker daemon is running before starting development.

GitHub Account - Create a GitHub account if you don’t have one - Required for repository hosting and collaboration - If using alternative version control systems, please contact the Tercen team

Docker Configuration

Make sure Docker Desktop is running before starting development. On Windows, select the WSL 2 backend option during installation for optimal performance.

4.2 Development Environment

4.2.1 Visual Studio Code (Recommended)

We strongly recommend using Visual Studio Code as your primary development environment because:

Container Support: Built-in dev container functionality
Template Integration: Seamless integration with our GitHub repository templates
Multi-language Support: Excellent support for R, Python, and other languages

Installation Steps: 1. Download and install VS Code 2. Install the following extensions: - Dev Containers (for containerized development) - R Extension (for R development) - Python Extension (for Python development) - Docker Extension (for Docker management)

4.2.2 GitHub Repository Templates

Tercen provides pre-configured repository templates that include:

Development containers with all Tercen dependencies
Template code for operators in R and Python
CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment
Documentation templates for consistent documentation

4.3 Tercen Instance Setup

You have two options for accessing Tercen during development:

4.3.1 Option 1: Cloud Instance (Recommended for Beginners)

Use your existing Tercen cloud account at tercen.com or your own organisation’s instance
No additional setup required
Ideal for learning and initial development
Access to shared libraries and community operators

4.3.2 Option 2: Local Tercen Studio (Advanced)

For advanced development and testing, you can set up a local Tercen instance:

Installation Steps:

Clone Tercen Studio repository:

git clone https://github.com/tercen/tercen_studio.git
cd tercen_studio

Create Docker network:

docker network create tercen

Start Tercen Studio:

docker-compose up -d

Access local instance:
- URL: http://127.0.0.1:5402
- Username: admin
- Password: admin

Local vs Cloud Development

Cloud: Easier setup, shared resources, collaboration features
Local: Full control, offline development, testing isolation

Most developers start with cloud development and move to local setup for advanced use cases.

4.3.3 Troubleshooting Common Issues

Docker not starting: - Ensure Docker Desktop is running - Check system requirements for Docker - On Windows, verify WSL 2 is enabled

Git authentication issues: - Set up SSH keys for GitHub: GitHub SSH documentation - Or use GitHub CLI: gh auth login

VS Code extensions not working: - Restart VS Code after installing extensions - Check extension compatibility with your VS Code version - Ensure you have the latest version of VS Code

4.4 Next Steps

Your development environment is now ready for building powerful analytical tools on the Tercen platform!

You can now start developing a module. The next chapters cover module development. Each module type has dedicated sections in this guide with detailed instructions.

# Environment Setup Setting up your development environment correctly is crucial for a smooth Tercen development experience. This chapter covers all the tools, accounts, and configurations you'll need to start building operators, workflow templates, and applications for the Tercen platform. ## Prerequisites Before diving into Tercen development, ensure you have the following essential tools and accounts set up: ### Required Tools **Git Version Control** - Install [Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads) for your operating system - Git is essential for version control and collaboration - Verify installation: `git --version` **Docker** Docker is required for local testing and deployment of operators. Installation varies by platform: **Windows:** - Install [Docker Desktop for Windows](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/) - **Important**: Select the **WSL 2 backend** option during installation for optimal performance - Requires Windows 10/11 with WSL 2 enabled **macOS:** - Install [Docker Desktop for Mac](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/mac-install/) - Available for both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2) Macs - Download the appropriate version for your chip architecture **Linux:** - Install Docker Engine: Follow the [official Docker installation guide for Linux](https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/) - Or install Docker Desktop for Linux: [Docker Desktop for Linux](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/linux-install/) - Popular distributions have specific installation steps (Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, etc.) **Verification (all platforms):** ```bash docker --version docker run hello-world ``` Ensure the Docker daemon is running before starting development. **GitHub Account** - Create a [GitHub account](https://github.com) if you don't have one - Required for repository hosting and collaboration - If using alternative version control systems, please contact the Tercen team ::: {.callout-important} ## Docker Configuration Make sure Docker Desktop is running before starting development. On Windows, select the **WSL 2 backend** option during installation for optimal performance. ::: ## Development Environment ### Visual Studio Code (Recommended) We strongly recommend using **Visual Studio Code** as your primary development environment because: - **Container Support**: Built-in dev container functionality - **Template Integration**: Seamless integration with our GitHub repository templates - **Multi-language Support**: Excellent support for R, Python, and other languages **Installation Steps:** 1. Download and install [VS Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) 2. Install the following extensions: - **Dev Containers** (for containerized development) - **R Extension** (for R development) - **Python Extension** (for Python development) - **Docker Extension** (for Docker management) ### GitHub Repository Templates Tercen provides pre-configured repository templates that include: - **Development containers** with all Tercen dependencies - **Template code** for operators in R and Python - **CI/CD pipelines** for automated testing and deployment - **Documentation templates** for consistent documentation ## Tercen Instance Setup You have two options for accessing Tercen during development: ### Option 1: Cloud Instance (Recommended for Beginners) - Use your existing Tercen cloud account at [tercen.com](https://tercen.com) or your own organisation's instance - No additional setup required - Ideal for learning and initial development - Access to shared libraries and community operators ### Option 2: Local Tercen Studio (Advanced) For advanced development and testing, you can set up a local Tercen instance: **Installation Steps:** 1. **Clone Tercen Studio repository:** ```bash git clone https://github.com/tercen/tercen_studio.git cd tercen_studio ``` 2. **Create Docker network:** ```bash docker network create tercen ``` 3. **Start Tercen Studio:** ```bash docker-compose up -d ``` 4. **Access local instance:** - URL: [http://127.0.0.1:5402](http://127.0.0.1:5402) - Username: `admin` - Password: `admin` ::: {.callout-note} ## Local vs Cloud Development - **Cloud**: Easier setup, shared resources, collaboration features - **Local**: Full control, offline development, testing isolation Most developers start with cloud development and move to local setup for advanced use cases. ::: ### Troubleshooting Common Issues **Docker not starting:** - Ensure Docker Desktop is running - Check system requirements for Docker - On Windows, verify WSL 2 is enabled **Git authentication issues:** - Set up SSH keys for GitHub: [GitHub SSH documentation](https://docs.github.com/en/authentication/connecting-to-github-with-ssh) - Or use GitHub CLI: `gh auth login` **VS Code extensions not working:** - Restart VS Code after installing extensions - Check extension compatibility with your VS Code version - Ensure you have the latest version of VS Code ## Next Steps Your development environment is now ready for building powerful analytical tools on the Tercen platform! You can now start developing a module. The next chapters cover module development. Each module type has dedicated sections in this guide with detailed instructions.