Setting Up a Developer Machine for Python and Node.js on Ubuntu LTS

Introduction

Setting up a robust development environment is crucial for efficient coding, debugging, and deployment. This guide will walk you through setting up a developer machine for Python and Node.js development on Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support). We’ll cover everything from basic installations to advanced configurations, and highlight common pitfalls to avoid.

Ubuntu LTS versions (like 22.04 or 24.04) are ideal for development due to their stability and long support cycles. This guide assumes you’re starting with a fresh Ubuntu LTS installation.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

• Ubuntu LTS installed (22.04 or 24.04 recommended)
• Sudo privileges
• Internet connection
• At least 8GB RAM (16GB recommended for smooth development)
• 50GB free disk space

Update your system first:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y sudo apt autoremove -y

Installing Python

Using Ubuntu’s Package Manager

Ubuntu comes with Python 3 pre-installed, but it’s often an older version. Let’s install the latest Python version alongside the system Python.

# Check current Python version python3 --version # Install essential build tools sudo apt install -y build-essential libssl-dev zlib1g-dev \ libbz2-dev libreadline-dev libsqlite3-dev wget curl llvm \ libncursesw5-dev xz-utils tk-dev libxml2-dev libxmlsec1-dev libffi-dev liblzma-dev # Install Python 3.11 (or latest stable) sudo apt install -y python3.11 python3.11-venv python3.11-dev

Using pyenv for Version Management

For better version control, use pyenv to manage multiple Python versions:

# Install pyenv dependencies sudo apt install -y curl git # Install pyenv curl https://pyenv.run | bash # Add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.pyenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc echo 'eval "$(pyenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc echo 'eval "$(pyenv virtualenv-init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc # Reload shell source ~/.bashrc # Install Python versions pyenv install 3.11.0 pyenv install 3.10.0 pyenv global 3.11.0 # Verify installation python --version

Setting Up Virtual Environments

Always use virtual environments to isolate project dependencies:

# Using venv (built-in) python3 -m venv myproject source myproject/bin/activate pip install --upgrade pip # Using pyenv-virtualenv pyenv virtualenv 3.11.0 myproject pyenv activate myproject

Installing Node.js

Using NodeSource Repository

For the latest LTS version of Node.js:

# Install Node.js 20.x LTS (current as of 2025) curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash - sudo apt-get install -y nodejs # Verify installation node --version npm --version

Using nvm (Node Version Manager)

For managing multiple Node.js versions:

# Install nvm curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash # Add to shell profile echo 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"' >> ~/.bashrc echo '[ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh"' >> ~/.bashrc echo '[ -s "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/bash_completion"' >> ~/.bashrc # Reload shell source ~/.bashrc # Install Node.js versions nvm install --lts nvm install 18 nvm use --lts # Verify node --version npm --version

Updating npm and Installing Global Packages

# Update npm npm install -g npm@latest # Install essential global packages npm install -g yarn pnpm npm install -g typescript @types/node npm install -g eslint prettier npm install -g nodemon ts-node

Development Tools and Editors

Visual Studio Code

# Install VS Code wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > packages.microsoft.gpg sudo install -D -o root -g root -m 644 packages.microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list' sudo apt install apt-transport-https sudo apt update sudo apt install code # Essential VS Code extensions for Python and Node.js code --install-extension ms-python.python code --install-extension ms-python.black-formatter code --install-extension ms-python.isort code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-typescript-next code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint code --install-extension bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss

Vim/Neovim Setup

# Install Neovim sudo apt install -y neovim # Install vim-plug curl -fLo ~/.local/share/nvim/site/autoload/plug.vim --create-dirs \ https://raw.githubusercontent.com/junegunn/vim-plug/master/plug.vim # Create Neovim config mkdir -p ~/.config/nvim cat > ~/.config/nvim/init.vim << EOF call plug#begin('~/.vim/plugged') Plug 'neovim/nvim-lspconfig' Plug 'hrsh7th/nvim-cmp' Plug 'hrsh7th/cmp-nvim-lsp' Plug 'saadparwaiz1/cmp_luasnip' Plug 'L3MON4D3/LuaSnip' Plug 'nvim-treesitter/nvim-treesitter', {'do': ':TSUpdate'} Plug 'psf/black', { 'branch': 'main' } Plug 'dense-analysis/ale' call plug#end() lua << EOF require('lspconfig').pyright.setup{} require('lspconfig').tsserver.setup{} EOF EOF

Git Configuration

# Install Git sudo apt install -y git # Configure Git git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com" git config --global core.editor "code --wait" git config --global init.defaultBranch main # Generate SSH key for GitHub ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com" eval "$(ssh-agent -s)" ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub # Copy the output and add to GitHub

Database Setup

PostgreSQL

# Install PostgreSQL sudo apt install -y postgresql postgresql-contrib # Start and enable PostgreSQL sudo systemctl start postgresql sudo systemctl enable postgresql # Create a database user sudo -u postgres createuser --interactive --pwprompt yourusername sudo -u postgres createdb yourdatabase # Install pgAdmin (optional GUI) sudo apt install -y pgadmin4

MongoDB

# Install MongoDB sudo apt-get install gnupg curl curl -fsSL https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-7.0.asc | \ sudo gpg -o /usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg \ --dearmor echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/mongodb-server-7.0.gpg ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu jammy/mongodb-org/7.0 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-7.0.list sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org # Start MongoDB sudo systemctl start mongod sudo systemctl enable mongod

Containerization with Docker

# Install Docker sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null sudo apt update sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin # Add user to docker group sudo usermod -aG docker $USER # Log out and back in for group changes to take effect # Install Docker Compose sudo apt install -y docker-compose

Cloud CLI Tools

AWS CLI

# Install AWS CLI v2 curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip" unzip awscliv2.zip sudo ./aws/install # Configure AWS aws configure

Azure CLI

# Install Azure CLI curl -sL https://aka.ms/InstallAzureCLIDeb | sudo bash # Login az login

Google Cloud SDK

# Install Google Cloud SDK echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/cloud.google.gpg] https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt cloud-sdk main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-cloud-sdk.list curl https://packages.cloud.google.com/apt/doc/apt-key.gpg | sudo apt-key --keyring /usr/share/keyrings/cloud.google.gpg add - sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y google-cloud-sdk # Initialize gcloud init

Security Considerations

SSH Hardening

# Edit SSH config sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config # Recommended changes: # Port 22 -> Port 2222 (or other non-standard port) # PermitRootLogin no # PasswordAuthentication no # AllowUsers yourusername # Restart SSH sudo systemctl restart ssh

Firewall Setup

# Install UFW sudo apt install -y ufw # Configure firewall sudo ufw allow 2222/tcp # SSH on custom port sudo ufw allow 80/tcp # HTTP sudo ufw allow 443/tcp # HTTPS sudo ufw --force enable

VPN Setup (Optional)

Consider setting up a VPN for secure remote access:

# Install OpenVPN sudo apt install -y openvpn easy-rsa # Or WireGuard sudo apt install -y wireguard

Performance Optimization

System Monitoring

# Install monitoring tools sudo apt install -y htop iotop ncdu tree # Install system info sudo apt install -y neofetch

SSD Optimization

If using an SSD:

# Enable TRIM sudo systemctl enable fstrim.timer sudo systemctl start fstrim.timer

Swap File Tuning

# Check current swap free -h # Create swap file if needed sudo fallocate -l 8G /swapfile sudo chmod 600 /swapfile sudo mkswap /swapfile sudo swapon /swapfile # Make permanent echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting

1. PATH Issues

Problem: Commands not found after installation.

Solution: Check your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc and ensure the correct paths are added:

# For pyenv export PATH="$HOME/.pyenv/bin:$PATH" eval "$(pyenv init -)" # For nvm export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm" [ -s "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" ] && \. "$NVM_DIR/nvm.sh" # Reload shell source ~/.bashrc

2. Permission Errors

Problem: Permission denied when installing global npm packages.

Solutions:

• Use nvm and avoid sudo with npm
• Fix permissions: sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm
• Use a Node version manager

3. Python Virtual Environment Issues

Problem: Virtual environments not activating or packages not installing.

Solutions:

• Ensure you’re using the correct Python version
• Upgrade pip: pip install --upgrade pip
• Use python -m venv instead of virtualenv
• Check for conflicting installations

4. Node.js Version Conflicts

Problem: Different projects require different Node versions.

Solution: Use nvm to manage multiple versions:

nvm use 18 # For project A nvm use 20 # For project B

5. Docker Permission Issues

Problem: docker: Got permission denied error.

Solution:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER # Log out and back in

6. Git SSH Issues

Problem: Git push/pull fails with SSH.

Solution:

• Ensure SSH key is added to ssh-agent: ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
• Test connection: ssh -T git@github.com
• Check SSH config: ~/.ssh/config

7. Package Installation Failures

Problem: apt or pip installations fail.

Solutions:

• Update package lists: sudo apt update
• Clear cache: sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoclean
• Fix broken packages: sudo apt --fix-broken install
• Use --no-cache-dir with pip if network issues

8. Memory Issues

Problem: System becomes slow during builds.

Solutions:

• Increase swap space
• Close unnecessary applications
• Use nice to lower process priority: nice -n 10 npm install
• Monitor with htop

9. Firewall Blocking Connections

Problem: Services not accessible from outside.

Solution:

sudo ufw status sudo ufw allow port_number/protocol

10. Timezone Issues

Problem: System time is wrong.

Solution:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata # Or sudo timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

Development Workflow Tips

1. Use Version Control for Everything

# Initialize git in project git init echo "node_modules/" > .gitignore echo "__pycache__/" >> .gitignore git add . git commit -m "Initial commit"

2. Use Environment Variables

Create a .env file for sensitive data:

# .env DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost/db API_KEY=your_api_key_here

3. Automate Setup with Scripts

Create a setup script for new projects:

#!/bin/bash # setup.sh python -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate pip install -r requirements.txt npm install

4. Use Linters and Formatters

Configure pre-commit hooks:

pip install pre-commit pre-commit install # .pre-commit-config.yaml repos: - repo: https://github.com/pre-commit/pre-commit-hooks rev: v4.4.0 hooks: - id: trailing-whitespace - id: end-of-file-fixer - repo: https://github.com/psf/black rev: 22.10.0 hooks: - id: black

5. Backup Your Configuration

# Backup dotfiles mkdir ~/dotfiles cp ~/.bashrc ~/dotfiles/ cp ~/.gitconfig ~/dotfiles/ cp -r ~/.config/nvim ~/dotfiles/ # Use a dotfiles manager like stow or bare git repo

Conclusion

Setting up a developer machine for Python and Node.js on Ubuntu LTS involves multiple components working together seamlessly. The key is to use version managers (pyenv, nvm), virtual environments, and proper tooling to avoid conflicts and ensure reproducibility.

Remember to:

• Keep your system updated
• Use virtual environments for Python projects
• Manage Node versions with nvm
• Secure your setup with SSH keys and firewall
• Backup your configurations
• Monitor system performance

With this setup, you’ll have a robust, efficient development environment that can handle both Python and Node.js projects with ease. Happy coding!

Resources

• Ubuntu Documentation
• Python Official Documentation
• Node.js Documentation
• VS Code Documentation
• Docker Documentation

If you encounter any issues not covered here, the respective project documentation and community forums are excellent resources for troubleshooting.