Environment Setup

Set up your local environment before working through the TypeScript quickstart.

This page prepares the swig-ts example workspace so you can run the tutorial code locally and compare your changes with the reference examples.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following installed:

Option A: Node.js + Yarn

• Node.js v16 or newer
• Yarn v3+

Option B (Preferred): Bun

Bun provides better performance and a simpler setup. Install it with:

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

Required Tools

Additionally, you’ll need:

• Solana CLI
• Rust + Cargo

Step 1: Clone and Install

First, clone the examples repository and install dependencies:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/anagrambuild/swig-ts.git

# Enter the project directory
cd swig-ts

# Install dependencies
bun install

Step 2: Navigate to Examples

Move into the examples directory where you’ll write your code:

Classic

cd examples/tutorial/classic 

Kit

cd examples/tutorial/kit 

This location is important because it:

• Provides access to working examples (transfer-local.ts, mint.ts, etc.)
• Uses shared tooling without extra configuration
• Allows side-by-side comparison with official samples

Step 3: Start the Validator

Start a local Solana testnet for development:

bun start-validator

This command:

• Spins up a local Solana testnet
• Installs Swig programs into the testnet
• Creates a safe, reproducible environment for testing

💡 Keep the validator running in a separate terminal window. You only need to start it once per development session.

Verifying Your Setup

To verify everything is working:

1. Check the validator:

solana config get

You should see the local network configuration.

Common Issues

Validator Won’t Start

If the validator fails to start:

1. Check if another validator is running:

ps aux | grep solana-test-validator

2. Kill any existing processes:

pkill solana-test-validator

Installation Problems

If you encounter installation issues:

1. Clear your package cache:

bun cache clean

2. Remove and reinstall dependencies:

rm -rf node_modules
bun install

Port Conflicts

If you see port conflicts:

1. Check which process is using the port:

lsof -i :8899

2. Either kill the process or configure a different port in your settings.

Development Tools

We recommend the following tools for the best development experience:

Code Editor

• VS Code with extensions:
  • TypeScript and JavaScript Language Features
  • Solidity
  • Rust

Browser Extensions

• Swig Wallet Extension (Coming Soon)
• Phantom Wallet
• Solflare Wallet

Command Line Tools

• solana-cli for blockchain interaction
• cargo for Rust development
• bun for running TypeScript files