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Prerequisites

In this section, we will cover the basics of getting started with the platform. We will cover the following topics:

  • Installing prerequisite tools
  • Installing the Mass CLI
  • Setting Massdriver environment variables
note

You'll need to have created your Massdriver account and organization to complete this guide. If you haven't done so already, you can create a free account here.

Also, for any help with any of these steps, please feel free to reach out to us on Slack.

Installing prerequisite tools​

Install terminal​

You'll need a terminal to run commands in. We'll be using a terminal to run Mass CLI commands for managing your application bundle.

Linux/MacOS

The default terminal on MacOS is Terminal. You can find it in the Applications folder. The MacOS Terminal will work fine for this tutorial. If you're using Linux, you can use the default terminal for your distribution.

Windows

For Windows, we highly recommend installing WSL2. WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) is a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables natively on Windows. WSL2 is the latest version of WSL and is a full Linux kernel built by Microsoft.

note

Docker does not support WSL1. If you need to update your WSL version from WSL1 to WSL2, you can follow the instructions here.

In regards to a terminal to use, the Windows Terminal app on the Windows Store is a great option as it integrates well with WSL. You can find it here. (Requires Windows 10 version 19041 or higher)

Install Docker​

Massdriver uses Docker images to run applications. Our Mass CLI tool also uses the Docker Daemon for the mass image push command.

You can install Docker Desktop by following the instructions here.

Install IDE​

An IDE of some type is also required. We'll be using an IDE to work in your application's source directory to create a Dockerfile and set your app's environment variables in Massdriver.

We recommend VS Code.

Install Git​

We recommend installing Git to clone your application repositories to access your application's source code.

You can install Git by following the instructions here.

Installing the Mass CLI​

The Mass CLI is a command line tool that allows you to interact with the Massdriver platform. You can use it to create applications, push images, and more.

You can install the Mass CLI by following the instructions here.

Setting Massdriver environment variables​

The Mass CLI uses environment variables to authenticate with the Massdriver platform. You can set these environment variables by following the instructions here.

For ease of use, it's recommended to set these environment variables in your shell's profile. For example, if you're using bash, you can add the following to your ~/.bashrc file:

echo 'export MASSDRIVER_API_KEY=<your-api-key>' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'export MASSDRIVER_ORG_ID=<your-org-id>' >> ~/.bashrc

You are now ready to move onto setting up your Cloud Provider credentials. You can find the next section here.