Setting Up the Development Environment

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Overview

Before starting to develop client and server code using IBM Mobile Foundation, the development environment needs to be set-up first. This includes installing various required software and tools. The following is a list of software you may need to install on your developer workstation, depending on your needs.

You can also find detailed step-by-step instructions in this workstation installation guide.

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Server

You can use the MobileFirst Server either via the Mobile Foundation IBM Cloud service, or locally using the IBM MobileFirst Foundation Developer Kit (used for local development purposes). The MobileFirst Server requires Java 7 or 8 to run.

If you intend on using the Mobile Foundation IBM Cloud service, an account on bluemix.net is required.

Application development

At the very minimum, the following software is needed:

  • NodeJS (requirement for MobileFirst CLI)
  • MobileFirst CLI
  • Cordova CLI
  • IDEs:
    • Xcode
    • Android Studio
    • Visual Studio
    • Atom.io / Visual Studio Code / WebStorm / IntelliJ / Eclipse / other IDEs

Adapter development

At the very minimum, the following software is needed:

  • NodeJS (requirement for MobileFirst CLI)
  • optional MobileFirst CLI
  • Maven (requires Java)
  • IDEs:
    • IntelliJ / Eclipse / other IDEs

Platform-specific instructions

Inclusive terminology note: The Mobile First Platform team is making changes to support the IBM® initiative to replace racially biased and other discriminatory language in our code and content with more inclusive language. While IBM values the use of inclusive language, terms that are outside of IBM's direct influence are sometimes required for the sake of maintaining user understanding. As other industry leaders join IBM in embracing the use of inclusive language, IBM will continue to update the documentation to reflect those changes.
Last modified on May 17, 2019