Windows Setup for C#: an overview

After this lesson you can

• Name the tools installed for the C# course and what each one is for

Key takeaways

• Visual Studio is the full IDE for C#; VS Code is a lighter editor you use for the web. They are two different programs.
• The .NET SDK builds and runs C# programs, SQL Server stores your apps' data, and SSMS is where you look at that data and run SQL.
• Git saves every version of your code, and GitHub keeps a copy online.
• Git Bash is the terminal this course uses, and winget installs software with one typed command.
• Do the Setup exercises in order, because later tools build on earlier ones.

Windows only. This course is written for Windows 11. C#, Visual Studio and SQL Server were all made by Microsoft, and they work best together on Windows.

As a developer, you will spend your day in a handful of tools: one to manage files, one to type commands, one to write code, one to keep track of your changes, and one to look after your data. This topic introduces each of them, then installs them one at a time.

Your toolkit

Tool	What you use it for
File Explorer	Browse, open and organize files and folders
Windows Terminal	A modern command-line application for Windows that allows users to run commands.
Git Bash	A command-line application for Windows that emulates a UNIX/Linux style terminal.
winget	A command-line tool for Windows that allows users to install software applications.
Git and GitHub	Git is a file version control application. GitHub allows you to store files online.
VS Code	A free lightweight code editor, often used for web pages, JavaScript, and Angular
The .NET SDK	Builds and runs C# programs, from the terminal or from Visual Studio
Visual Studio	The full IDE for C#: write, run and debug your programs
SQL Server	The database server that stores your apps' data
SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)	The app you use to look at your databases and run SQL
Node.js	Runs JavaScript outside the browser. Angular needs it.

VS Code and Visual Studio are two different programs. Both come from Microsoft and both edit code, but Visual Studio is a full IDE built for C#, and VS Code is a lighter editor you will use for the web.

Set up your computer

The first lessons of this topic explain File Explorer, Windows Terminal and Git Bash, Git, GitHub and winget. The exercises will walk you through installing the software and setting up your computer.

Be sure to install all software and verify the installation. All software will be necessary to complete this course. Do the exercises in order, because they build on each other:

1. Windows Terminal and winget
2. VS Code
3. Git, Git Bash, and a connection to your GitHub account
4. The .NET 10 SDK
5. Visual Studio 2026
6. SQL Server 2025 and SSMS 22
7. Node.js
8. A final check that everything works together

Set aside about two hours, and stay connected to the internet: Visual Studio and SQL Server are large downloads. Some installs ask for permission to change your computer, so you need to be able to approve those prompts. If a step goes wrong, each exercise ends with a table of common problems and their fixes.

Check yourself

2 questions to try on the lesson page.

So what

Every program you write in this course passes through these tools: you write it in Visual Studio or VS Code, build it with the .NET SDK, store its data in SQL Server, and save it with Git. Installing them carefully now saves you hours later.

Cheat sheets

• Windows Setup for C#: an overview