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Mattscreative edited this page Dec 5, 2025 · 2 revisions

CachyOS Development Environment Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to setting up development environments on CachyOS, including programming languages, IDEs, build tools, and development workflows.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding Development Environments
  2. Programming Languages
  3. IDEs and Editors
  4. Build Tools and Compilers
  5. Version Control
  6. Development Tools
  7. Container Development

Understanding Development Environments

What is a Development Environment?

Development environment is setup for writing and testing code.

Components:

  • Programming languages: Python, C++, etc.
  • IDEs/Editors: Code editors
  • Build tools: Compilers, build systems
  • Version control: Git, etc.
  • Debugging tools: Debuggers

Why setup matters:

  • Productivity: Good setup = faster development
  • Efficiency: Right tools = better workflow
  • Compatibility: Proper setup = fewer issues

Programming Languages

Python

Install Python:

sudo pacman -S python python-pip

What this does:

  • Installs Python interpreter
  • Installs pip (package manager)
  • Ready for Python development

Install development tools:

sudo pacman -S python-setuptools python-wheel python-build

What this does:

  • Installs Python build tools
  • Package building support
  • Development utilities

C/C++

Install GCC:

sudo pacman -S gcc make cmake

What this does:

  • gcc: C/C++ compiler
  • make: Build automation
  • cmake: Build system

Install development libraries:

sudo pacman -S base-devel

What this does:

  • Installs development tools
  • Essential build tools
  • Required for compiling

JavaScript/Node.js

Install Node.js:

sudo pacman -S nodejs npm

What this does:

  • Installs Node.js runtime
  • Installs npm (package manager)
  • Ready for JavaScript development

Rust

Install Rust:

sudo pacman -S rust

What this does:

  • Installs Rust compiler
  • Installs Cargo (package manager)
  • Ready for Rust development

Go

Install Go:

sudo pacman -S go

What this does:

  • Installs Go compiler
  • Installs Go tools
  • Ready for Go development

IDEs and Editors

Visual Studio Code

Install VS Code:

yay -S visual-studio-code-bin

What this does:

  • Installs VS Code
  • Popular code editor
  • Extensible with extensions

Or from AUR:

yay -S code

JetBrains IDEs

Install IntelliJ IDEA:

yay -S intellij-idea-ultimate-edition

Install PyCharm:

yay -S pycharm-professional

Install CLion:

yay -S clion

What these do:

  • Professional IDEs
  • Language-specific tools
  • Full-featured development

Vim/Neovim

Install Neovim:

sudo pacman -S neovim

What this does:

  • Installs Neovim editor
  • Terminal-based editor
  • Highly configurable

Emacs

Install Emacs:

sudo pacman -S emacs

What this does:

  • Installs Emacs editor
  • Extensible editor
  • Powerful customization

Build Tools and Compilers

GCC/G++

Install GCC:

sudo pacman -S gcc

What this does:

  • Installs C/C++ compiler
  • Standard compiler
  • Widely used

Clang

Install Clang:

sudo pacman -S clang

What this does:

  • Installs Clang compiler
  • Alternative to GCC
  • Modern compiler

CMake

Install CMake:

sudo pacman -S cmake

What this does:

  • Installs CMake build system
  • Cross-platform builds
  • Popular build tool

Meson

Install Meson:

sudo pacman -S meson

What this does:

  • Installs Meson build system
  • Modern build system
  • Fast builds

Version Control

Git

Install Git:

sudo pacman -S git

What this does:

  • Installs Git version control
  • Essential for development
  • Widely used

Configure Git:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

What this does:

  • Sets Git user name
  • Sets Git email
  • Required for commits

GitHub CLI

Install GitHub CLI:

sudo pacman -S github-cli

What this does:

  • Installs GitHub CLI
  • Command-line GitHub access
  • Useful for GitHub workflows

Development Tools

Debuggers

Install GDB:

sudo pacman -S gdb

What this does:

  • Installs GDB debugger
  • C/C++ debugging
  • Essential debugging tool

Install LLDB:

sudo pacman -S lldb

What this does:

  • Installs LLDB debugger
  • Clang debugger
  • Modern debugger

Static Analysis

Install Clang Static Analyzer:

sudo pacman -S clang-tools-extra

What this does:

  • Installs static analysis tools
  • Code quality checks
  • Bug detection

Formatters

Install clang-format:

sudo pacman -S clang

What this does:

  • Includes clang-format
  • Code formatting
  • Consistent style

Container Development

Docker

Install Docker:

sudo pacman -S docker

Start Docker:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker.service

Add user to docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

What this does:

  • Enables Docker
  • Allows using Docker
  • Container development

Podman

Install Podman:

sudo pacman -S podman

What this does:

  • Installs Podman
  • Docker alternative
  • Rootless containers

Additional Resources

Summary

This guide covered:

  1. Understanding development environments - What they are
  2. Programming languages - Python, C/C++, JavaScript, Rust, Go
  3. IDEs and editors - VS Code, JetBrains, Vim, Emacs
  4. Build tools - GCC, Clang, CMake, Meson
  5. Version control - Git, GitHub CLI
  6. Development tools - Debuggers, analyzers, formatters
  7. Container development - Docker, Podman

Key Takeaways:

  • Install base-devel for essential tools
  • Choose IDE/editor based on preference
  • Install language-specific tools
  • Use Git for version control
  • Set up containers for isolated development
  • Configure tools for your workflow

This guide is based on the CachyOS Wiki and Arch Linux Wiki and expanded with detailed explanations for beginners. For the most up-to-date development information, always refer to the official documentation.

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