Setting up a Sitecore Developer Laptop in 2023

So with the start of the new year, and new company, comes the fun part - a purchase of a new laptop. Exciting! I finally get to play with Windows 11 (Pro), and not be restricted by work security.

Long gone are the days of SIF-based installs, with SQL/Solr running as Windows services (and likely many instances of them, if you were working on multiple versions of Sitecore). These days everything can be done on containers and VS Code (yes, even back-end dev).  

With the release of (some) ltsc2022 images over the last week, we can finally use process isolation on Windows 11! Yes it's in preview, but at least your computer won't have a heart attack from lack of resources!

So because it was all so easy, I thought I'd quickly note down the few things I needed to install to get going. As a bonus I've included some configuration that might catch you out, or you may have forgotten if you've done it before.

Windows features

1. Containers / HyperV
2. IIS (optional, if you want to do a proper install at some point)
   
   
   
   
   

Software

1. VS Code for most dev, plus extensions:
   1. Azure (Account / Functions /  App Service / Cache / Kubernetes Service / Pipelines / Resources / Static Web Apps / Storage)
      
   2. Docker
   3. Git History
   4. GraphQL (Language Feature Support / Syntax Highlighting)
      
   5. IntelliCode
   6. PowerShell
   7. Prettier - Code Formatter
      
   8. Scriban
   9. XML Tools
   10. YAML
       
       
2. Visual Studio (probably optional, since VS Code can do everything these days!)
   
1. TDS (optional, only if your clients use it)
   
   
3. Node
1. Sitecore JSS CLI
   
   
4. Docker Desktop
5. Git
   
   
6. Make life easier: 7Zip / SQL Server Management Studio
7. Testing APIs: Postman
8. Decompiling: ILSpy / DotPeek
   
9. Storage access: Filezilla & Azure Storage Explorer
   
10. Remote access: Microsoft Remote Desktop and Client VPNs

Configuration

Visual Studio:

 

Docker settings:

Turn off docker-compose v2 (for now, until support is added by the Sitecore team)

Set the following Docker settings:

"features": {
  "buildkit": false
}

---

So only a dozen or so tools, plus a little setup and configuration. Pretty great if you ask me!
If there's anything I'm missing that you use to be productive I'd love to hear it. Leave a comment and I'll take a look (and hopefully make my life easier in the process).

Moving On (but more Sitecore)

For those who know me you'll know that I've worked with Sitecore in the APJ Professional Services team for the last 4 1/2 years, and I've finally made the decision to move on to something new. It's been a heck of a journey, from being a part of the team while there were only a handful of us, to leading the team across APJ; working with a massive range of clients and partners, from those who had zero Sitecore experience, to those who had Sitecore MVPs on board. It's funny how you think you know a lot about Sitecore until you actually go to work there and have access to all the knowledge of the global teams, whether it's Professional Services, Support, or the Product team. Like any software vendor (or product) they have their flaws (after all, the company is made up of humans), but I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with, learn, and grow. I like to think that our Services team in APJ is one of the strongest group of people in the Sitecore ecosystem. So why move on? There were a number of reasons, but like any other job after a few years things start to get a little less interesting and less challenging, so I made the call to try something (semi-)new. I'll still be in the Sitecore ecosystem, and I'll be hopefully posting some interesting material as I go. Now that I'm not an employee of Sitecore (and nothing to gain) I'll leave you with a parting word of advice: whether you're a Sitecore newbie or an MVP, client or partner side, there is always a benefit to involving the Sitecore Professional Services team in your life. They have access to more knowledge and internal resources than you could ever get access to, and with all the new Sitecore products being released it's pretty much impossible for one person to be an expert at all of them. So if you want your projects to go smoothly I'd strongly encourage you to get them involved, whether it's a few hours here and there, or a dedicated resource to help you on a recurring basis, you'll be massively reducing your risk and helping to ensure your projects are successful.