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Prerequisites Checklist

Everything you need to get started.

What You'll Need

Before diving in, make sure you have these tools installed. This guide assumes basic computer literacy but no coding experience.

🐳 1. Docker Desktop

Docker runs applications in isolated “containers.” Think of it as a virtual computer inside your computer—your code runs the same way everywhere.

  1. Download from docker.com/products/docker-desktop
  2. Install and launch it (it runs in the background)
  3. Verify: Open a terminal and type:
docker --version

You should see a version number (e.g., Docker version 27.x.x)

🐙 2. GitHub Account & Git

GitHub is where your code lives online. Git is the tool that syncs code between your computer and GitHub.

  1. Create a free account at github.com
  2. Install Git: git-scm.com/downloads
  3. Verify: Open a terminal and type:
git --version

New to GitHub? My Your Website in an Afternoon guide covers the GitHub/Git basics in more depth.

⚠️ Keep your repo private unless you want your code public. When creating a repository, select “Private” to keep your Second Brain code (and any secrets you might accidentally commit) visible only to you.

🤖 3. AI Coding Assistant

You'll use an AI assistant to generate the Python code. Here are your options:

ToolCostNotes
OpenCodeFreeIDE & terminal, runs anywhere
Cursor$20/moFull IDE with AI built-in
Gemini Code AssistFree w/ Google planIDE plugin with agentic features
GitHub Copilot$10/moVS Code/JetBrains plugin

Note: You can copy-paste from Gemini web chat, but an IDE that sees your whole project makes debugging much easier.

🔒 4. Understanding .gitignore

A .gitignore file tells Git “don't upload these files.” Your .env contains API keys—if you accidentally push it publicly, anyone can use (and abuse) your accounts.

After creating your project, create a file called .gitignore with one line:

.env

This keeps your secrets local and safe.

🐍 What About Python?

You might notice this guide builds a Python application—but you don't need to install Python. Docker handles that for you. Your code runs inside a container that has Python pre-installed.

This is one of Docker's superpowers: you write code, Docker provides the environment. No “works on my machine” problems.

Want to debug outside Docker? You can install Python 3.11+ from python.org. But it's optional for this guide.

Ready?

Once you have Docker running and Git installed, you're ready to build your Second Brain. Let's go!