Environment Setup

Before creating a Velaptor project, you'll need two things: the .NET SDK and an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). This page will walk you through installing both.

info

Velaptor does not run on macOS as of yet. Velaptor projects are currently supported only on Windows and Linux.

Plans to support macOS are in the works, but no timeline has been set for when support will be added.

Step 1: Install the .NET SDK

Velaptor is built on .NET, so you'll need the .NET SDK installed. The SDK includes the dotnet CLI tool used to create, build, and run projects.

Download the latest .NET SDK from the official .NET download page.

Windows

1. Download the .NET SDK installer for Windows from the link above.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
3. Once complete, open a terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell) and verify the installation:

dotnet --version

You should see the installed SDK version printed to the console.

Linux

1. Open the official Linux installation guide
2. Choose your Linux distribution and follow those exact steps.
3. After installation, open a terminal and verify the installation:

dotnet --version

You should see the installed SDK version printed to the console.

Step 2: Install an IDE

Choose one of the following IDEs to write and run your Velaptor project. All three are excellent choices — pick whichever you're most comfortable with.

Visual Studio Community

Visual Studio Community is a free, full-featured IDE from Microsoft for Windows.

1. Download Visual Studio Community from the link above.
2. Run the installer.
3. In the Workloads tab, select .NET desktop development.
4. Click Install and wait for installation to complete.
5. Launch Visual Studio and sign in with a Microsoft account (free).

tip

Visual Studio Community includes built-in NuGet package management, debugging, and project templates — all of which you'll use throughout this quick start.

JetBrains Rider

JetBrains Rider is a cross-platform .NET IDE available on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

1. Download Rider from the link above.
2. Run the installer and follow the setup wizard.
3. On first launch, Rider will detect your installed .NET SDK automatically.

note

Rider requires a license after the free trial period. JetBrains offers free licenses for students and open-source contributors.

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a free, lightweight editor available on Windows, Linux, and macOS.

1. Download VS Code from the link above.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.

3. Open VS Code and install the C# Dev Kit extension:

   • Open the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X).
   • Search for C# Dev Kit and click Install.

The C# Dev Kit extension provides project management, IntelliSense, debugging, and NuGet package management for .NET projects.

You're all set! Continue to the next page to create your Velaptor project.