HTML Installation

Now that you understand how HTML works, it’s time to start coding! But before we write our first HTML documents, let’s set up the right tools to make development smooth, fast, and efficient.

Prerequisites for Learning HTML

No prior knowledge is required!

Anyone with basic computer skills can start learning HTML. You don’t need to know any programming languages or frameworks beforehand. HTML is the foundation of every website and is usually the very first step into the world of web development.

Tools You Need to Create an HTML Page

To start writing HTML, you only need two main tools:

HTML Editor

This is where you write your HTML code. Wile you can technically use any plain text editor (even Notepad), it’s better to use a specialized code editor that offers features like:

- Syntax highlighting
- Auto-completion
- Code suggestions
- Extensions and themes

Recommended Editor: Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

It is lightweight, powerful, beginner-friendly, and completely free!

Other popular editors include:

- Notepad++
- Sublime Text
- WebStorm (premium)
- Brackets
- Online Editors: CodePen, JSFiddle, Replit

Web Browser

A browser is used view your HTML page as it will appear to users. It takes your code and renders it into styled, visual webpage.

Recommended Browser: Google Chrome

Other good options include:

- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Safari (on Mac)
- Chromium-based browsers

Installing Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

Follow these steps to download and install VS Code:

Go to https://code.visualstudio.com/
Click Download and choose the version for your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Run the installer and follow the setup instructions

Install Live Server Extension (For Live Preview)

To make development faster and easier, install an extension called Live Server. This allows you to see your HTML file in the browser instantly every time you save it – no need to refresh manually.

How to Install Live Server:

Open VS Code
Click on the Extensions icon (or press (Ctrl + Shift + X )
Search for Live Server
Click Install on the extension developed by Ritwick Dey

In the next lesson, we will start writing some code and review the document structure of HTML pages.