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GitHub Codespaces setup

GitHub Codespaces provides a cloud-based development environment that runs VS Code in your browser. This is the fastest way to start developing Comind apps without installing anything locally.

Alternative: Local development

You can set up your local environment if you prefer, but you'll need to install Node.js, npm, and VS Code on your machine.

Getting started with Codespaces​

Step 1: Get repository access​

Ask your admin for access to your organization's GitHub repository, typically located at:

https://github.com/comindwork/your-org

Step 2: Create a Codespace​

  1. Navigate to your organization's GitHub repository
  2. Click the green "Code" button in the repository
  3. Select the "Codespaces" tab
  4. Click "Create codespace on main"
GitHub Codespaces creation interface

Step 3: Wait for environment setup​

Your Codespace will automatically:

  • Launch a web-based VS Code editor
  • Install Node.js and dependencies (npm install)
    • if npm install fails - you might need to update node-version with nvm install 22.13.0 and run again npm install
  • Set up the development environment
Extension installation

When prompted with "Do you want to install recommended extensions?", click Yes. These extensions provide helpful tools for Comind app development.

GitHub Codespaces VS Code interface

Verify your setup​

Test that everything is working correctly by running these commands in the Terminal:

# Copy sample environment variables
cp .config/dev.env.sample .config/dev.env

# Run the test suite
npm test

If both commands succeed, you're ready to start developing!

Next steps​

✅ Setup complete! You can now:

Troubleshooting​

Codespace won't start?

  • Check that you have access to the repository
  • Try refreshing the page and creating a new Codespace

Extensions not working?

  • Reload the window: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window"
  • Manually install extensions from the Extensions panel

Terminal commands failing?

  • Ensure the setup process completed (check for any error messages)
  • Try running npm install manually