Prerequisites (Cloud Direct)

Before you start this guide: You should have read 01 — Introduction first.

Because we are deploying directly to the cloud, your computer literally does no heavy lifting. You do not need Docker, and you do not need Node.js.

This guide covers the few lightweight tools you need to install just to look at the code and upload it. Do every step in order. Do not skip.

What you will install

#	Software	Why you need it
1	Git	Downloads the starter kit code to your computer
2	VS Code	A free text editor to type in your API keys
3	Fly CLI	The tool that magically uploads the API code to Fly.io

Tick the checkbox if you completed the step successfully.

Install Git

Git is the tool that lets you download the starter kit code.

1.1 Open your browser and go to: https://git-scm.com/downloads
1.2 Click the download button for your operating system (Windows or Mac).
1.3 Run the installer. Click Next on every screen. Leave all options at their defaults.
1.4 Verify it installed by opening a terminal (Command Prompt or PowerShell) and typing:

git --version

You should see:

git version 2.x.x

Tick the checkbox if you completed the step successfully.

Install a Code Editor

You need a code editor to open the files and safely paste your secret API keys.

If you already have a code editor like VS Code, Cursor, or AntiGravity installed, you can skip this step!

2.1 Open your browser and go to: https://code.visualstudio.com/
2.2 Click Download.
2.3 Run the installer and click Next on every screen to install it.

Tick the checkbox if you completed the step successfully.

Install the Fly CLI

The Fly CLI is the only tool that will actually "talk" to your cloud servers.

3.1 Open your terminal (PowerShell for Windows, Terminal for Mac).
3.2 If you are on Windows, copy and paste this command and press Enter:

pwsh -Command "iwr https://fly.io/install.ps1 -useb | iex"

(If the first one fails, try this one instead:)

powershell -Command "iwr https://fly.io/install.ps1 -useb | iex"

3.3 If you are on Mac, copy and paste this command and press Enter:

curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh

3.4 Wait for it to finish installing.
3.5 Close your terminal completely, and open a brand new one.
3.6 Verify the Fly CLI installed correctly by typing:

fly version

You should see something like:

flyctl v0.3.x...

Tick the checkbox if you completed the step successfully.

Checklist — Before moving on

Go through this list. Every item must be ✅ before proceeding.

git --version shows a version number
VS Code is installed and can be opened
fly version shows a version number (not an error)

When every checkbox above is ticked, move on to 03 — Clone & Setup.

Category: cloud-directShipClawFast Engine