Windows Developer Machine Setup Guide: Complete PowerShell Environment

Setting up a Windows development machine for DevOps and cloud development requires a different approach than traditional Unix-like systems. This guide focuses on leveraging Windows-native tools and PowerShell to create a powerful, efficient development environment that stays within the Windows ecosystem.

Whether you’re working with Azure, AWS, or multi-cloud environments, this Windows-centric setup will give you all the tools you need for modern infrastructure as code and cloud development.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

• Windows 10/11 Pro or Enterprise (for some advanced features)
• Administrator privileges
• Internet connection
• Basic command-line familiarity

1. Windows Package Managers and System Updates

Windows Update

# Check for and install Windows updates Get-WindowsUpdate -Install -AcceptAll -AutoReboot # Or use Windows Settings: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update

Install Package Managers

Chocolatey (Essential Windows Package Manager)

# Install Chocolatey Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; ` [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = ` [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; ` iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1')) # Verify installation choco --version # Enable global confirmation choco feature enable -n allowGlobalConfirmation

Winget (Microsoft’s Official Package Manager)

# Winget comes pre-installed on Windows 10/11 # If not available, install from Microsoft Store or GitHub # Verify installation winget --version # Update winget winget upgrade --id Microsoft.Winget.Source --source winget

Scoop (Alternative Package Manager)

# Install Scoop Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser irm get.scoop.sh | iex # Add buckets scoop bucket add extras scoop bucket add versions scoop bucket add nerd-fonts

2. PowerShell Setup and Configuration

PowerShell Version Check and Update

# Check current PowerShell version $PSVersionTable.PSVersion # Install PowerShell 7 (recommended) winget install --id Microsoft.PowerShell --source winget # Or using Chocolatey choco install powershell-core

PowerShell Profile Configuration

# Check current profile path $PROFILE # Create profile directory if it doesn't exist if (!(Test-Path -Path $PROFILE)) { New-Item -ItemType File -Path $PROFILE -Force } # Edit profile (opens in default editor) notepad $PROFILE # Or use VS Code: code $PROFILE

Add the following to your PowerShell profile:

# PowerShell Profile Configuration # ================================= # Set execution policy for current session Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process -Force # Oh My Posh for beautiful prompts (install first: winget install JanDeDobbeleer.OhMyPosh) oh-my-posh init pwsh --config "$env:POSH_THEMES_PATH\clean-detailed.omp.json" | Invoke-Expression # Import modules Import-Module posh-git Import-Module PSReadLine Import-Module Terminal-Icons # PSReadLine configuration for better command-line experience Set-PSReadLineOption -EditMode Windows Set-PSReadLineOption -HistoryNoDuplicates Set-PSReadLineOption -HistorySearchCursorMovesToEnd Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionSource History Set-PSReadLineOption -PredictionViewStyle ListView # Key bindings Set-PSReadLineKeyHandler -Key UpArrow -Function HistorySearchBackward Set-PSReadLineKeyHandler -Key DownArrow -Function HistorySearchForward Set-PSReadLineKeyHandler -Key Tab -Function Complete Set-PSReadLineKeyHandler -Key Ctrl+d -Function DeleteCharOrExit # Aliases Set-Alias ll Get-ChildItem Set-Alias grep Select-String Set-Alias touch New-Item Set-Alias which Get-Command Set-Alias open Invoke-Item # Git aliases function gs { git status } function ga { git add . } function gc { param($m) git commit -m $m } function gp { git push } function gl { git log --oneline -10 } function gd { git diff } # Terraform aliases function tf { terraform $args } function tfi { terraform init } function tfp { terraform plan } function tfa { terraform apply } function tfd { terraform destroy } # AWS aliases function aws-whoami { aws sts get-caller-identity } # Navigation functions function dev { Set-Location ~/dev } function docs { Set-Location ~/Documents } function dl { Set-Location ~/Downloads } function mkcd { param($dir) mkdir $dir; Set-Location $dir } # Environment variables $env:EDITOR = "code" $env:VISUAL = "code" # Path additions $env:Path += ";$env:USERPROFILE\bin" $env:Path += ";$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin" # Custom prompt function function prompt { $location = Get-Location $gitBranch = "" if (Test-Path .git) { $gitBranch = " ($(git branch --show-current))" } "PS $($location.Path)$gitBranch> " } # Load additional configurations $configPath = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot "powershell-config.ps1" if (Test-Path $configPath) { . $configPath } # Welcome message Write-Host "🚀 PowerShell environment loaded!" -ForegroundColor Green Write-Host "💡 Type 'help' for available commands" -ForegroundColor Yellow

Essential PowerShell Modules

# Install essential modules Install-Module -Name posh-git -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name PSReadLine -Scope CurrentUser -AllowPrerelease -Force Install-Module -Name Terminal-Icons -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name oh-my-posh -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name PSFzf -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name PSWindowsUpdate -Scope CurrentUser -Force # AWS PowerShell module Install-Module -Name AWSPowerShell.NetCore -Scope CurrentUser -Force # Azure PowerShell module Install-Module -Name Az -Scope CurrentUser -AllowClobber -Force # Docker module Install-Module -Name DockerMsftProvider -Scope CurrentUser -Force

3. Windows Terminal Setup

Install Windows Terminal

# Install Windows Terminal using winget winget install --id Microsoft.WindowsTerminal --source winget # Or using Chocolatey choco install microsoft-windows-terminal

Windows Terminal Configuration

// Open settings.json in Windows Terminal (Ctrl+,) // Add this configuration: { "$schema": "https://aka.ms/terminal-profiles-schema", "defaultProfile": "{574e775e-4f2a-5b96-ac1e-a2962a402336}", "profiles": { "defaults": { "fontFace": "Cascadia Code", "fontSize": 11, "colorScheme": "Campbell Powershell", "useAcrylic": true, "acrylicOpacity": 0.75 }, "list": [ { "guid": "{574e775e-4f2a-5b96-ac1e-a2962a402336}", "name": "PowerShell", "commandline": "powershell.exe", "hidden": false }, { "guid": "{61c54bbd-c2c6-5271-96e7-009a87ff44bf}", "name": "PowerShell 7", "commandline": "pwsh.exe", "hidden": false }, { "guid": "{07b52e3e-de2c-5db4-bd2d-ba144ed6c273}", "name": "Ubuntu (WSL)", "commandline": "wsl.exe -d Ubuntu", "hidden": false }, { "guid": "{0caa0dad-35be-5f56-a8ff-afceeeaa6101}", "name": "Command Prompt", "commandline": "cmd.exe", "hidden": false } ] }, "schemes": [ { "name": "Dracula", "background": "#282A36", "black": "#21222C", "blue": "#BD93F9", "brightBlack": "#6272A4", "brightBlue": "#D6ACFF", "brightCyan": "#A4FFFF", "brightGreen": "#69FF94", "brightPurple": "#FF92DF", "brightRed": "#FF6E6E", "brightWhite": "#FFFFFF", "brightYellow": "#FFFFA5", "cyan": "#8BE9FD", "foreground": "#F8F8F2", "green": "#50FA7B", "purple": "#FF79C6", "red": "#FF5555", "white": "#F8F8F2", "yellow": "#F1FA8C" } ], "actions": [ { "command": "find", "keys": "ctrl+shift+f" }, { "command": "splitPane", "keys": "ctrl+shift+5" }, { "command": { "action": "splitPane", "split": "vertical" }, "keys": "ctrl+shift+v" } ] }

4. Git Setup with SSH on Windows

Install Git for Windows

# Install Git using winget winget install --id Git.Git --source winget # Or using Chocolatey choco install git # Verify installation git --version

Git Configuration

# Set Git configuration git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com" git config --global init.defaultBranch main git config --global credential.helper wincred git config --global core.autocrlf input # Set up useful aliases git config --global alias.co checkout git config --global alias.br branch git config --global alias.ci commit git config --global alias.st status

SSH Key Generation

# Generate SSH key ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com" -f "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519" -N '""' # Start SSH agent Start-Service ssh-agent ssh-add "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519" # Copy public key to clipboard Get-Content "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub" | Set-Clipboard

Test SSH Connection

# Test GitHub ssh -T git@github.com # Test GitLab ssh -T git@gitlab.com

5. Terraform Installation and Setup

Install Terraform

# Install using Chocolatey choco install terraform # Or using winget winget install --id Hashicorp.Terraform --source winget # Or manually download from HashiCorp # Download from: https://www.terraform.io/downloads # Extract to: C:\terraform # Add to PATH # Verify installation terraform version

Terraform Configuration

# Create Terraform directory New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$env:USERPROFILE\.terraform.d" -Force # Create credentials file @" { "credentials": { "app.terraform.io": { "token": "your-terraform-cloud-token-here" } } } "@ | Out-File -FilePath "$env:USERPROFILE\.terraform.d\credentials.tfrc.json" -Encoding UTF8 # Set environment variable [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("TF_CLI_CONFIG_FILE", "$env:USERPROFILE\.terraform.d\credentials.tfrc.json", "User") # Install autocomplete terraform -install-autocomplete

6. AWS CLI and PowerShell Tools

Install AWS CLI

# Install AWS CLI v2 using Chocolatey choco install awscli # Or using winget winget install --id Amazon.AWSCLI --source winget # Or manual installation # Download from: https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.msi # Run installer # Verify installation aws --version

AWS CLI Configuration

# Configure AWS CLI aws configure # Create additional profiles aws configure --profile dev aws configure --profile staging aws configure --profile prod # Set default profile [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("AWS_PROFILE", "dev", "User") # Install AWS PowerShell module Install-Module -Name AWSPowerShell.NetCore -Scope CurrentUser -Force # Import AWS module in profile # Add to $PROFILE: Import-Module AWSPowerShell.NetCore

AWS Tools for PowerShell

# Install AWS Tools Install-Module -Name AWS.Tools.Common -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name AWS.Tools.EC2 -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name AWS.Tools.S3 -Scope CurrentUser -Force Install-Module -Name AWS.Tools.IAM -Scope CurrentUser -Force # Example usage in PowerShell # Import-Module AWS.Tools.Common # Set-AWSCredential -ProfileName dev # Get-EC2Instance

7. Visual Studio Code Setup for Windows

Install VS Code

# Install using winget winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode --source winget # Or using Chocolatey choco install vscode # Install VS Code Insiders (optional) winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode.Insiders --source winget

Essential Extensions Installation

# Install extensions using command line code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-typescript-next code --install-extension ms-python.python code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-json code --install-extension hashicorp.terraform code --install-extension hashicorp.hcl code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-docker code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-yaml code --install-extension amazonwebservices.aws-toolkit-vscode code --install-extension ms-vscode.powershell code --install-extension msazurermtools.azurerm-vscode-tools code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens code --install-extension github.copilot code --install-extension github.copilot-chat code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-icons code --install-extension dracula-theme.theme-dracula code --install-extension github.github-vscode-theme code --install-extension ms-vscode.vscode-eslint code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode code --install-extension ms-python.black-formatter

VS Code Settings for Windows

{ // Editor Configuration "editor.fontSize": 14, "editor.fontFamily": "'Cascadia Code', 'JetBrains Mono', Consolas, monospace", "editor.fontLigatures": true, "editor.tabSize": 2, "editor.insertSpaces": true, "editor.detectIndentation": true, "editor.trimAutoWhitespace": true, "editor.formatOnSave": true, "editor.formatOnPaste": true, "editor.codeActionsOnSave": { "source.fixAll.eslint": "explicit", "source.organizeImports": "explicit" }, "editor.minimap.enabled": true, "editor.renderWhitespace": "boundary", "editor.bracketPairColorization.enabled": true, "editor.guides.bracketPairs": true, // PowerShell Configuration "powershell.powerShellExePath": "C:\\Program Files\\PowerShell\\7\\pwsh.exe", "powershell.integratedConsole.showOnStartup": false, "powershell.enableProfileLoading": true, // Terminal Configuration "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Program Files\\PowerShell\\7\\pwsh.exe", "terminal.integrated.fontFamily": "'Cascadia Code', monospace", "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 12, // File Associations "files.associations": { "*.tf": "terraform", "*.tfvars": "terraform", "*.hcl": "hcl", "Dockerfile*": "dockerfile", "*.yml": "yaml", "*.yaml": "yaml", "*.ps1": "powershell", "*.psm1": "powershell" }, // Exclude Files "files.exclude": { "**/.git": true, "**/.DS_Store": true, "**/node_modules": true, "**/.terraform": true, "**/*.tfstate*": true, "**/.aws": true, "**/bin": true, "**/obj": true }, // Git Configuration "git.enableSmartCommit": true, "git.confirmSync": false, "git.autofetch": true, "gitlens.showWelcomeOnInstall": false, // Terraform Configuration "terraform.languageServer.enable": true, "terraform.languageServer.args": ["serve"], // Python Configuration "python.defaultInterpreterPath": "python", "python.linting.enabled": true, "python.linting.pylintEnabled": true, "python.formatting.provider": "black", // AWS Configuration "aws.profile": "dev", "aws.telemetry": false, // Theme and Appearance "workbench.iconTheme": "vscode-icons", "workbench.colorTheme": "GitHub Dark", "workbench.preferredDarkColorTheme": "GitHub Dark", // Window Configuration "window.zoomLevel": 0, "window.restoreWindows": "all", // PowerShell Specific "powershell.codeFormatting.preset": "OTBS", "powershell.integratedConsole.focusConsoleOnExecute": false }

PowerShell Extension Configuration

{ "powershell.powerShellExePath": "C:\\Program Files\\PowerShell\\7\\pwsh.exe", "powershell.integratedConsole.showOnStartup": false, "powershell.enableProfileLoading": true, "powershell.codeFormatting.preset": "OTBS", "powershell.integratedConsole.focusConsoleOnExecute": false, "powershell.startAsLoginShell": true }

8. Windows-Specific Development Tools

Install Additional Tools

# Development tools choco install nodejs-lts yarn choco install python --version=3.11.0 choco install openjdk11 choco install dotnetcore-sdk choco install docker-desktop # Cloud tools choco install azure-cli choco install googlecloudsdk # Database tools choco install postgresql choco install mysql choco install mongodb # Text editors and IDEs choco install notepadplusplus choco install jetbrainstoolbox # Utilities choco install 7zip choco install everything choco install powertoys choco install autohotkey

Windows Subsystem for Linux (Optional)

# Enable WSL dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart # Install WSL2 wsl --install -d Ubuntu # Set WSL2 as default wsl --set-default-version 2 # List available distributions wsl --list --online # Install additional distribution wsl --install -d Ubuntu-20.04

9. Environment Validation Script

Create a PowerShell validation script:

# validate-windows-setup.ps1 Write-Host "🔍 Validating Windows Development Environment Setup" -ForegroundColor Cyan Write-Host "==================================================" -ForegroundColor Cyan # Check PowerShell version Write-Host "PowerShell Version: $($PSVersionTable.PSVersion)" -ForegroundColor Yellow # Check Git try { $gitVersion = git --version Write-Host "✅ Git: $gitVersion" -ForegroundColor Green } catch { Write-Host "❌ Git: Not installed" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check Terraform try { $tfVersion = terraform version | Select-Object -First 1 Write-Host "✅ Terraform: $tfVersion" -ForegroundColor Green } catch { Write-Host "❌ Terraform: Not installed" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check AWS CLI try { $awsVersion = aws --version Write-Host "✅ AWS CLI: $awsVersion" -ForegroundColor Green } catch { Write-Host "❌ AWS CLI: Not installed" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check VS Code try { $codeVersion = code --version | Select-Object -First 1 Write-Host "✅ VS Code: $codeVersion" -ForegroundColor Green } catch { Write-Host "❌ VS Code: Not installed" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check Chocolatey try { $chocoVersion = choco --version Write-Host "✅ Chocolatey: v$chocoVersion" -ForegroundColor Green } catch { Write-Host "❌ Chocolatey: Not installed" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check winget try { $wingetVersion = winget --version Write-Host "✅ Winget: $wingetVersion" -ForegroundColor Green } catch { Write-Host "❌ Winget: Not available" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check SSH keys $sshKeyPath = "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519.pub" if (Test-Path $sshKeyPath) { Write-Host "✅ SSH Key: Present" -ForegroundColor Green } else { Write-Host "❌ SSH Key: Missing" -ForegroundColor Red } # Check PowerShell modules $modules = @('posh-git', 'PSReadLine', 'Terminal-Icons', 'AWSPowerShell.NetCore') foreach ($module in $modules) { if (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name $module) { Write-Host "✅ Module $module`: Installed" -ForegroundColor Green } else { Write-Host "❌ Module $module`: Not installed" -ForegroundColor Red } } Write-Host "" Write-Host "🎉 Setup validation complete!" -ForegroundColor Green Write-Host "💡 Run 'choco upgrade all' regularly to keep packages updated" -ForegroundColor Yellow

10. Backup and Recovery

Backup Your Configuration

# Create backup directory $backupDir = "$env:USERPROFILE\dev-setup-backup" New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $backupDir -Force # Backup PowerShell profile Copy-Item $PROFILE "$backupDir\powershell-profile.ps1" # Backup Windows Terminal settings Copy-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json" "$backupDir\windows-terminal-settings.json" # Backup SSH keys Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh" "$backupDir\ssh-keys" -Recurse # Backup VS Code settings Copy-Item "$env:APPDATA\Code\User\settings.json" "$backupDir\vscode-settings.json" Copy-Item "$env:APPDATA\Code\User\keybindings.json" "$backupDir\vscode-keybindings.json" # Backup AWS configuration Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.aws" "$backupDir\aws-config" -Recurse # Backup Terraform configuration Copy-Item "$env:USERPROFILE\.terraform.d" "$backupDir\terraform-config" -Recurse Write-Host "✅ Backup completed to $backupDir" -ForegroundColor Green

Quick Restore Script

# restore-windows-setup.ps1 $backupDir = "$env:USERPROFILE\dev-setup-backup" Write-Host "🔄 Restoring Windows Development Environment" -ForegroundColor Cyan # Restore PowerShell profile Copy-Item "$backupDir\powershell-profile.ps1" $PROFILE # Restore Windows Terminal settings Copy-Item "$backupDir\windows-terminal-settings.json" "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState\settings.json" # Restore SSH keys Copy-Item "$backupDir\ssh-keys\*" "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\" -Recurse # Restore VS Code settings Copy-Item "$backupDir\vscode-settings.json" "$env:APPDATA\Code\User\settings.json" Copy-Item "$backupDir\vscode-keybindings.json" "$env:APPDATA\Code\User\keybindings.json" # Restore AWS config Copy-Item "$backupDir\aws-config\*" "$env:USERPROFILE\.aws\" -Recurse # Restore Terraform config Copy-Item "$backupDir\terraform-config\*" "$env:USERPROFILE\.terraform.d\" -Recurse Write-Host "✅ Restore complete! Restart PowerShell and VS Code." -ForegroundColor Green

11. Windows-Specific Tips and Tricks

Windows Key Shortcuts

• Win + X: Quick access menu
• Win + Shift + S: Screenshot tool
• Win + V: Clipboard history
• Win + .: Emoji picker
• Win + ,: Peek at desktop

PowerShell Tips

# Quick edit mode toggle Set-PSReadLineOption -EditMode Emacs # or Windows # Fuzzy finding with PSFzf # Install: Install-Module PSFzf # Use: Ctrl+R for history, Ctrl+T for files # Profile editing code $PROFILE # Edit in VS Code . $PROFILE # Reload profile

Performance Optimization

# Disable Windows search indexing on dev folders Set-WindowsSearchSetting -EnableIndexing $false -Paths "$env:USERPROFILE\dev" # Exclude folders from Windows Defender Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "$env:USERPROFILE\dev" Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "$env:USERPROFILE\.terraform"

Windows Services Management

# Useful services for development Start-Service -Name ssh-agent # For SSH keys Start-Service -Name docker # If using Docker Desktop # Check service status Get-Service -Name ssh-agent, docker

Conclusion

You’ve now set up a complete Windows development environment optimized for DevOps and cloud development work. Your Windows machine is configured with:

• ✅ PowerShell with custom profile and modules
• ✅ Windows Terminal with multiple shells
• ✅ Git with SSH authentication
• ✅ Terraform for infrastructure as code
• ✅ AWS CLI and PowerShell tools
• ✅ VS Code with DevOps extensions
• ✅ Windows package management with Chocolatey and winget

This Windows-native setup provides excellent performance and integration with Windows-specific tools and workflows while maintaining full compatibility with cloud and DevOps tooling.

Remember to regularly update your tools using choco upgrade all and winget upgrade --all, and backup your configurations regularly.

Happy Windows development! 🎉