⚙️ DevOps Prerequisites: Tools, Accounts, and Setups I Completed Today
Donald Smith
By Donald Smith
As part of my DevOps learning journey, I’ve started setting up all the foundational tools and accounts needed to build, test, and deploy software efficiently. Today was all about laying the groundwork, and I’d like to share what I installed, why it matters, and a few practical lessons I learned along the way.
🛠️ 1. Tools I Installed and Their Purpose
Here are the key tools I set up today, along with what each one is used for:
| Tool | Purpose |
| Oracle VM VirtualBox | Runs virtual machines (VMs) locally — great for creating isolated test environments |
| Git Bash | A command-line tool for Git that works smoothly on Windows |
| Vagrant | Automates VM creation and provisioning (used with VirtualBox) |
| Chocolatey | Windows package manager for installing software via the terminal |
| JDK 8 | Java Development Kit – required for tools like Jenkins and Maven |
| Maven | Builds and manages Java-based projects (especially useful in CI/CD) |
| IntelliJ IDEA | A powerful IDE for Java and other languages |
| Sublime Text Editor | Lightweight code editor for quick edits |
| AWS CLI | Command-line tool to interact with AWS services from your terminal |
I installed Chocolatey on my Windows machine to make many of these installations faster and repeatable with commands instead of manual downloads.
🌐 2. Accounts I Created
These platforms will be essential for code hosting, automation, image storage, and monitoring:
| Account | Why I Created It |
| GitHub | To store code, scripts, and pipelines in a version-controlled environment |
| Docker Hub | For pushing and pulling Docker container images |
| SonarCloud | For automated code quality analysis and static code scanning |
| Domain Name (GoDaddy) | Purchased a domain for just $2 to take advantage of free hosting on platforms like: |
Netlify (with custom domain)
GitHub Pages
Hashnode custom blog domain setup
🔑 Note: Owning a domain will help with custom branding and deploying test projects or blogs under your personal namespace.
☁️ 3. AWS Setup (with a Small Hitch)
I started creating an AWS Free Tier account and worked on:
Creating an IAM user with MFA (for secure access)
Setting up a billing alarm (to avoid surprise charges)
Preparing to configure an SSL certificate for future deployments
⚠️ Important Note:
I faced an issue with AWS not verifying my phone number. This seems to be a common hiccup, and I plan to retry with a different number or contact AWS support if needed.
📁 GitHub Repos: Where Everything Lives
I also set up a GitHub repository where I’ll be storing:
Scripts for installing tools like Chocolatey, Vagrant, and AWS CLI
Configuration files (e.g.,
.bashrc,Vagrantfile)Notes and guides from my learning journey
I’ll keep this repo updated to act as a public portfolio and personal reference.
💡 Final Thoughts
Setting up the right tools early on helps avoid bottlenecks later. Even though some steps felt like system admin work, they’re all part of becoming a DevOps engineer — someone who can build, test, automate, and deploy in any environment.
Up next, I’ll be diving into Linux basics, Git version control, and automating my first VM environment with Vagrant!
✅ Bonus: Quick Win Today
I paid just $2 for a domain from GoDaddy, which opened the door to:
Free hosting on GitHub Pages and Netlify
Custom domain for my Hashnode blog
A professional portfolio link (coming soon!)
💬 If you’re learning DevOps too, feel free to connect or ask me questions! I’m happy to share what I figure out along the way.
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