Setup a dev environment for freeCodeCamp

Warning for Windows Users

• This project ONLY supports development on macOS and Linux systems such as Ubuntu.
• On Windows, you cannot use Command Prompt, Git Bash, or PowerShell. Instead, install WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) to create a Linux environment and then follow the Linux instructions.
• We recommend using Windows Terminal to run your WSL2 environment for the best experience.

Follow these guidelines for setting up a development environment for freeCodeCamp. This is highly recommended if you want to contribute regularly.

Fork the freeCodeCamp repository on GitHub

You will need to fork the freeCodeCamp repository on GitHub to get your own copy of the codebase. This will allow you to follow a Git-based workflow to contribute to freeCodeCamp.

Follow these steps to fork the repository:

1. Click the button below to fork the freeCodeCamp repository on GitHub.

   Fork freeCodeCamp

2. On the create new fork page, check the details and click the Create fork button.

3. You should automatically be redirected to your fork, the URL should be something like https://github.com/YOUR_USER_NAME/freeCodeCamp.

That’s it! You have successfully forked the freeCodeCamp repository. You can always delete your fork if you want to start fresh.

Did you know?

The main repository at https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp is often referred to as the upstream repository. Your fork at https://github.com/YOUR_USER_NAME/freeCodeCamp is often referred to as the origin repository.

Cloud IDE or your own machine?

Next, you need to choose between setting up a cloud IDE or your own machine.

If you’re looking to make a one-time contribution or want the fastest setup, use GitHub Codespaces which provides a ready-to-code environment in your web browser using devcontainers. For long-term contributions where you prefer local development, you can set up freeCodeCamp on your local machine.

Feature	GitHub Codespaces Recommended	Your own machine
Hardware requirements	No minimum hardware requirements	Powerful minimum hardware requirements
Software installation	No need to install any software	Additional software needed
Repository status	Always up-to-date repository	Manual updates required
Setup complexity	Easy setup with devcontainers, works in any browser	Larger download and setup time
Internet dependency	Requires an internet connection to work	Minimal internet connection required once set up
Performance	Consistent cloud-based performance	Depends on your machine capabilities
Usage limits	60 hours free per month for personal accounts	No usage limits
Environment consistency	Identical setup for all contributors via devcontainers	May vary between different machines and OS

Once you have decided, follow the relevant tab below to continue with the setup.

GitHub Codespaces

GitHub Codespaces

We have automated the development environment setup using devcontainers. With GitHub Codespaces, you get a consistent, ready-to-code environment that runs in your browser with all dependencies pre-installed.

Launch a Codespace from your fork:

1. Go to your fork at https://github.com/YOUR_USER_NAME/freeCodeCamp

2. Click the green Code button

3. Select the Codespaces tab

4. Click Create codespace on main

   Your codespace will automatically set up the development environment using our devcontainer configuration. This includes:

   • Installing Node.js, pnpm, and all dependencies
   • Setting up MongoDB
   • Configuring VS Code extensions
   • Preparing the environment variables

5. Wait for the setup to complete (usually 2-3 minutes)

Local Machine

Here is a minimum system requirement for running freeCodeCamp locally:

System Requirements

• A fast CPU (4+ cores)
• At least 8 GB RAM
• macOS, Linux
• 8-10 GB of free disk space
• (Optional) 30-50 Mbps internet connection

Windows users: You will need more resources like memory and CPU than above, to allow running the project on Linux with WSL.

Start by installing the prerequisite software for your operating system.

Prerequisites:

Prerequisite	Version	Notes
Node.js	22.x	We use the “Active LTS” version, see LTS Schedule.
pnpm	10.x	-
MongoDB Community Server	8.0.x	-
Docker Compose	2.x	-

Did you check the version?

If you have a different version of a requisite software, please install the recommended version. See the troubleshooting section for more details.

Run the following commands to validate the versions:

node -v

pnpm -v

Once you have the prerequisites installed, you need to prepare your development environment. This is common for many development workflows, and you will only need to do this once.

Additional Prerequisites:

1. Install Git or your favorite Git client, if you haven’t already. Update to the latest version; the version that came bundled with your OS may be outdated.

2. (Optional but recommended) Set up an SSH Key for GitHub.

3. Install a code editor of your choice. If you aren’t sure which one to use, we recommend Visual Studio Code — it’s free and open source.

4. Set up linting for your code editor.

   You should have ESLint running in your editor, and it will highlight anything that doesn’t conform to freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript Style Guide.

   Pay Attention to errors

   Please do not ignore any linting errors. They are meant to help you and to ensure a clean and simple codebase.

Clone your Fork from GitHub

You should already have a fork of freeCodeCamp on GitHub. If not, follow these instructions to fork the repository. Next, you will need to clone your fork to your local machine.

Run these commands on your local machine:

1. Open a terminal in your projects directory, for example:

   /home/username/projects/

2. Clone your fork of freeCodeCamp, replacing YOUR_USER_NAME with your GitHub Username

   git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/YOUR_USER_NAME/freeCodeCamp.git

   This will download the entire freeCodeCamp repository to your projects directory.

   Note

   --depth=1 creates a shallow clone of your fork, with files from the most recent history/commit.

3. (Optional) The localized versions of our curriculum are stored in the i18n-curriculum repo. If you intend to run a localized version of the curriculum follow the next steps, or skip to the next section.

   Clone the i18n-curriculum submodule:

   cd freeCodeCamp

   git submodule update --init

Set up Syncing from Parent

Now that you have downloaded a copy of your fork, you will need to set up an upstream remote to the parent repository.

As mentioned earlier, the main repository is referred to as the upstream repository. Your fork is referred to as the origin repository.

You need a reference from your local clone to the upstream repository in addition to the origin repository. This is so that you can sync changes from the main repository without the requirement of forking and cloning repeatedly.

1. Change the directory to the new freeCodeCamp directory if you aren’t already there:

   cd freeCodeCamp

2. Add a remote reference to the main freeCodeCamp repository:

   git remote add upstream https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp.git

3. Ensure the configuration looks correct:

   git remote -v

   The output should look something like below (replacing YOUR_USER_NAME with your GitHub username):

   origin    https://github.com/YOUR_USER_NAME/freeCodeCamp.git (fetch)
   origin    https://github.com/YOUR_USER_NAME/freeCodeCamp.git (push)
   upstream    https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp.git (fetch)
   upstream    https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp.git (push)

Running freeCodeCamp

Now that you have a copy of freeCodeCamp, you can follow these instructions to run it. This will allow you to:

• Preview edits to pages as they would appear on the learning platform.
• Work on UI related issues and enhancements.
• Debug and fix issues with the application servers and client apps.

GitHub Codespaces

Your Codespace comes pre-configured with all dependencies installed and services like the database already running. You can start developing immediately:

1. In the terminal, run:

   pnpm run develop

   This will start both the API server and the client applications.

2. Wait for the process to complete. It can take a few minutes, you will see a notification to for the 8000 port when it’s ready.

3. Click on the notification to open the client application in a new browser tab.

Congratulations - you're all set!

You now have a copy of freeCodeCamp’s entire learning platform running in your Codespace. Go ahead and start making changes to the codebase.

Local Machine

Step 1: Set up the Environment Variable File

The default API keys and environment variables are stored in the file sample.env. This file needs to be copied to a new file named .env that is accessed dynamically during the installation step.

cp sample.env .env

The keys in the .env file are not required to be changed to run the app locally. You can leave the default values copied over from sample.env as-is.

Note

Keep in mind if you want to use services like Auth0 or Algolia, you’ll have to acquire your own API keys for those services and edit the entries accordingly in the .env file.

Step 2: Install Dependencies & Shared Config

Install the dependencies and set up shared configuration for services.

pnpm install

pnpm run create:shared

Step 3: Start MongoDB and Seed the Database

Before you can run the application locally, you will need to start a MongoDB Server as a replica set.

1. Stop any existing MongoDB server that uses port 27017 (if you already have a replica set running on that port, you can skip this and the next step)

2. Start the MongoDB server as a replica set:

   docker compose --file ./api/tools/docker-compose.yml up -d

3. Seed the database and setup a new user:

   MongoDB URI

   The default should be fine for most users. If you are using a custom config, modify the MONGOHQ_URL in the .env file as needed.

   pnpm run seed

   This will set up a new user without any completed certifications among other things. This is usually more than enough to get you started.

4. (Optional) Setup a user with completed certifications:

   pnpm run seed:certified-user

   This comes handy with advanced debugging or creating tests for the platform.

   Clear the cookies

   You will have to clear your browser cookies and sign in again after seeding the certified user.

Notes on the Database

Install MongoDB as a background service

You can avoid having to start MongoDB every time by installing it as a background service. You can learn more about it in their documentation for your OS.

Step 4: Start the Client App and API Server

You can now start up the API server and the client applications.

pnpm run develop

Once ready, open a web browser and visit: http://localhost:8000

http://localhost:8000

Congratulations - you're all set!

You now have a copy of freeCodeCamp’s entire learning platform running on your local machine. Go ahead and start making changes to the codebase.

Some notes:

• The API server serves endpoints at http://localhost:3000.
• The Gatsby app serves the client application at http://localhost:8000.
• All the APIs are available at http://localhost:3000/explorer.

Note

If you have issues with the setup, check out the troubleshooting section.

Quick Commands Reference

Handy Scripts to use locally

Command	Description
pnpm install	Installs / re-installs all dependencies and bootstraps the different services.
pnpm run seed	Creates authorized test users and inserts them into MongoDB. Also runs seed:exams and seed:surveys below.
pnpm run seed:certified-user	Creates authorized test users with certifications fully completed, and inserts them into MongoDB.
pnpm run seed:exams	Creates exams and inserts them into MongoDB.
pnpm run seed:surveys	Creates surveys for default users and inserts them into MongoDB.
pnpm run develop	Starts the freeCodeCamp API Server and Client Applications.
pnpm run clean	Uninstalls all dependencies and cleans up caches.