Setting up my machine in minutes with Amazon Q Developer

Setting up a new development environment can be a tedious task that often takes hours. However, with Amazon Q Developer CLI, I recently transformed this time-consuming process into a breeze. Here's my experience setting up Ubuntu 24.04 with all my essential development tools.

Above was my prompt to tell Amazon Q Developer CLI of my existing `.zshrc` configuration file as a blueprint. Amazon Q CLI helped me quickly set up my entire development environment. During the process, I interacted with the Q CLI. When it asked me to install nvm, I requested to replace it with MISE instead. The system not only complied but also informed me that I was making a smart decision. Who doesn't like an AI that gives compliments?

The CLI efficiently handled the installation and configuration of:

- Zsh and Oh My Zsh

- Essential plugins (zsh-syntax-highlighting, zsh-autosuggestions)

- Spaceship theme for a better terminal experience

- Hasklug Nerd Font for improved terminal aesthetics

- Mise (a modern replacement for NVM and Pyenv)

- Docker

- Poetry (Python package manager)

- .NET SDK (LTS version)

- Ruby with development libraries

- Created appropriate config files

- Set up Mise for managing Node.js, Python, and Ruby versions

- Preserved custom aliases and functions

- Configured the shell theme

Amazon Q CLI didn't just blindly install packages. It:

1. Verified existing installations

2. Created necessary directories

3. Downloaded and configured required components

4. Updated system configurations

5. Set up proper environment variables

As developers, we often underestimate the time spent setting up new environments. Tools like Amazon Q Developer CLI not only save time but also ensure consistency in our development environments, reducing the "it works on my machine" syndrome.

I highly recommend giving Amazon Q Developer CLI a try. It's a game-changer in terms of efficiency and reliability.