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Custom Development Environment Setup

Some users may prefer to create a custom development environment instead of using the pre-configured dev container. This may be necessary if the dev container does not align with their existing workflow, tools, or development processes. This guide provides the necessary prerequisites and steps to set up a custom Atym development environment.

Prerequisites​

It is recommended that you use Linux or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) (preferably Ubuntu 24.04) as your base development environment.

Getting Started​

1. Install Essential Build Tools​

Ensure the following tools are installed:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y make cmake ninja-build ccache python3-pip git wget tar

2. Download and Install the WASI-SDK​

The WebAssembly System Interface SDK (WASI-SDK) is required to compile WebAssembly modules, an intermediate component in creating Atym containers.

To install it, download WASI-SDK v25 and extract it to /opt/wasi-sdk, or another location of your choosing.

Example for Linux x86_64:

wget https://github.com/WebAssembly/wasi-sdk/releases/download/wasi-sdk-25/wasi-sdk-25.0-x86_64-linux.tar.gz
sudo tar xvf wasi-sdk-25.0-x86_64-linux.tar.gz
sudo mv wasi-sdk-25.0-x86_64-linux /opt/wasi-sdk
WASI-SDK Version

We recommend using WASI-SDK v25 as it's the version tested with Atym. While other versions may work, v25 ensures compatibility with the Atym toolchain. Advanced users who understand the implications may choose to use different versions.

3. Install Additional Development Tools (Optional)​

Beyond the essential tools, you may want to install additional utilities for debugging and development. For a comprehensive list of tools included in the official Atym development environment, see the Development Environment Setup page in the Developer Guide.

Some key tools you might consider installing include:

  • iwasm (Wasm Micro Runtime): For local testing and debugging of WebAssembly modules
  • WABT (WebAssembly Binary Toolkit): For inspecting and debugging WebAssembly binaries

Install these tools based on your specific development needs and workflow preferences.

Next Steps: Validate Your Setup​

To ensure your development environment is correctly configured, try building one of the sample projects in our documentation. These examples provide a practical way to verify that all required tools and dependencies are working as expected.

If you encounter any issues, refer to the troubleshooting section or revisit the installation steps to confirm everything is set up properly.