Install ATOM Code Editor & NodeJS on Windows & Mac

Did you recently start a new project that requires you to have a Code Editor, and NodeJS?

Maybe you are working on a website scraper, or generative NFT Art! Whatever it is, I’ll guide you through installing and setting up ATOM, my favorite Code Editor, followed by a quick tutorial on ‘How to Install NodeJS on PC and Mac’.

Sound good?

How to Install ATOM for Windows, Mac

Often times I will run into a tutorial that saves the very difficult stuff for the very end, without really touching on it. I find this extremely frustrating:

I believe the hardest part should be near the beginning, when we have the most of our energy, and have a better chance at catching it when skimming through an article.

I’ll try my best to describe all the specifics, so you wont have to look anywhere else for a new help article.

Coming up next: How to create your own NFT Art Generator!

Wondering what type of equipment you’ll need?

Here’s a list of equipment you’ll need:

A Computer – Mac or PC
Text / Code Editor & IDE, like ATOM.
An Internet Connection

Step 1. Install ATOM on your computer

I can imagine some of you mouthing ‘What the fuck?!’, but fear not. I will walk you through this step by step, because you deserve it. Let’s break this into a bunch of smaller, simpler steps.

First, identify if you have Windows or a Mac.
Download ATOM
1. For Windows users:
  1. Download ATOM, a text editor & code editor combined with an IDE. An IDE is just an extra program that helps you code efficiently (auto-complete, syntax/code dictionary, etc). You won’t need an IDE, but I recommend ATOM nonetheless.
  2. For installation, visit this article ‘How to Install Atom on Windows’.
2. For Mac users:
  1. Visit this link and download the Atom zip file for Mac, ‘Atom-mac.zip’.
  2. For installation, visit this article titled ‘How to install Atom for Mac’.
Check if NodeJS is installed on your computer currently. You can do this from your command prompt (Windows) or Terminal (Mac).
1. Windows users:
  1. Press the Windows Logo Key + ‘R’ to open search. (You’ll find the search bar on the bottom left of your screen).
  2. Type ‘CMD’, press Enter.
  3. When the black screen pops up, type out this 1 simple command, don’t include the parentheses. ‘node -v’
  4. If installed, you will see the version printed below, like ‘v15.6.0’. If it’s installed, great! Skip step 5.
2. Mac users:
  1. Open Spotlight Search.
  2. Search for ‘Terminal’.
  3. On the white screen that pops up, type out this 1 simple command, don’t include the parentheses. ‘node -v’
  4. If installed, you will see the version printed below, like ‘v15.6.0’. If it’s installed, great! Skip next step.

Step 2. Install NODEJS on your computer

nstall NodeJS (if not already installed).
1. Windows users:
  1. Visit the NodeJS site.
  2. Download nvm-setup.zip, for the latest version.
  3. Once downloaded, extract the zip file (unzip), and open nvm-setup.exe
  4. Follow the Installation Wizard to install NodeJS, choose the directory to install it to. (I installed into a custom directory, I created a folder called Code, and I have Python folder in there, Javascript, and created a folder called ‘Node’ inside /Code/.
  5. Test with the code ‘node -v’ again in CMD. The version should display now. Keep this window open.
  6. Now that NodeJS is installed, install NPM (Node Package Manager), by typing ‘npm install latest’ in Command Prompt.
  7. Once installed, type out ‘npm –version’ to check your work.
2. Mac users:
  1. Visit the NodeJS site, and select Mac Installer.
  2. Once Download completes, click on .pkg setup.
  3. Use the installer to install NodeJS.
    Introduction -> Click on continue
    License -> select continue -> select Agree option
    Destination Select -> select destination -> click on continue
    Installation Type -> Select Install -> It will prompt for authentication -> click on Install Software
    Summary -> click on close
  4. Once installation is complete, open Terminal by pressing command + space.
  5. Type ‘node -v’ to test out.
  6. Install NPM by typing ‘npm install latest’, press enter.
  7. Check version by typing ‘npm –version’, and pressing enter.
Set Environment Variables PATH for ATOM. This will allow NodeJS to function for creating NFTs.
1. Windows users:
  1. Press Windows Logo + ‘R’ to open search.
  2. Type ‘ENV’ into the search bar.
  3. Click the option ‘Edit Environment Variables for your account‘.
  4. This opens a new window, make sure you are on the ‘Advanced‘ tab, and press the button ‘Environment Variables’.
  5. In the first box for ‘Users Variables’, find PATH. Click Edit.
  6. Add the PATH for ATOM. This should be; C:\Users\\AppData\Local\atom\bin (replace with your computers username).