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Installation on Windows


Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the installation, ensure you have the following set up:

✅ Git Installed – Download and install Git from: Git Official Site

✅ Git-Based Terminal Configured in Your IDE – Use Git Bash, WSL, or a terminal with Git support.

💡 Why?

  • Xest requires a Git-based terminal due to its reliance on grep.
  • Some installations may require Git for dependency management.

To verify Git installation, run:

git --version

If Git is installed correctly, it will return the version number.


1. Install NVM (Node Version Manager)

Step 1: Download and Install NVM for Windows

NVM for Windows is different from the Linux version. Follow these steps:

  • Download the latest NVM for Windows installer from the official repository: NVM for Windows GitHub Releases.
  • Run the installer (nvm-setup.exe) and follow the installation instructions.
  • Restart your system after installation.

Step 2: Verify Installation

Open PowerShell or Command Prompt and run:

nvm version

If installed correctly, it will return the version number.  

Step 3: Install Node.js

To install the latest version of Node.js, run:

nvm install latest  
nvm use latest

To verify the installation, run:

node -v  
npm -v

📌 If you encounter issues running npm -v, try the following steps

npm -v error

  • Open PowerShell as Administrator:

    • Right-click on the Start menu and select "Windows PowerShell (Admin)".
    • OR, search for PowerShell, right-click it, and choose "Run as Administrator".

  • Check your current execution policy (optional):

    Get-ExecutionPolicy

  • Change the execution policy:

    • For this session only (temporary):

      Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process

    • To change the policy system-wide (more permanent, but still reversible):

      Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

      This will allow locally created scripts to run, but remote scripts will need to be signed by a trusted publisher.

    • Try running npm again:

      npm -v

  • If the issue persists, open a new PowerShell window using:

    powershell -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

2. Install Docker

Step 1: Download and Install Docker Desktop

  • Download Docker Desktop for Windows from: Docker Official Site.
  • Run the installer and follow the setup instructions.
  • Enable Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL 2) integration if prompted.
  • Restart your system after installation.

Step 2: Verify Docker Installation

Run the following command in PowerShell:

docker --version

3. Install Docker Compose

By default, Docker Compose is included with Docker Desktop. To verify:

docker compose version

4. Allow Managing Docker as a Non-Admin User

Docker Desktop automatically manages permissions, but if you encounter permission issues, follow these steps:

Step 1: Run PowerShell as Administrator

Step 2: Verify your username and domain

To confirm your username and domain, run:

[System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent().Name

Note: This will return the username in the format DOMAIN\Username. Make sure to replace DOMAIN\Username in the command below if needed.

Step 3: Add your user to the docker-users group

net localgroup docker-users "%USERDOMAIN%\%USERNAME%" /add

Docker users error

Sometimes you might receive an error stating that your user is already a member. This can be ignored.

Step 4: Restart Your Computer

For the changes to take effect, restart your system.


5. Install Xest

Step 1: Install Xest CLI

Run the following command in PowerShell:

npm install -g xest

Step 2: Bootstrap Your API

Run the following command in a Bash terminal because of its dependency on grep:

xx [project-name]

Navigate into the newly created directory:

cd project-name

Step 3: Start Your Xest API

Run:

xx run