What You Need

You’ll need a computer running Windows 7 or 8 or a modern version of Linux or OS X. You’ll need the ability to install software on your computer, as well as an active Internet connection.

You’ll also need a text editor or your IDE of choice. You can use Sublime Text, which is a commercial editor with a trial period, or any other text editor that you’d write code in.^[1]

We’ll use Node.js, so you’ll need to visit the Node.js website and get the latest version installed.^[2] You’ll find installers for all platforms there. Download the one for your operating system and install it using the default options.

Finally, Grunt is a command-line utility, so you’ll use the Command Prompt on Windows or the Terminal on OS X or Linux. This book will guide you through that process, so you’ll be pretty comfortable by the end. If you’re used to graphical programs, it might seem a bit shocking to you that you have to go “old school,” but a lot of modern developers use command-line tools because of the flexibility they offer. You’ll run Grunt on the command line, but you’ll still use your normal workflow and tools to write your apps.